


Home Again

by Paramour_Party



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:00:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 67,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24030946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paramour_Party/pseuds/Paramour_Party
Summary: All Hermione wants is to go home but if she's stuck indefinitely in this strange universe with no Wizarding World, she'd like to at least have some peace and safety in this new life of hers. Unfortunately, trouble always comes from people who were rather devoted to having skulls in their motifs.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Hermione Granger
Comments: 76
Kudos: 229





	1. Fortitude

****

* * *

**Friday, October 13th, 2006**

There was a scream stuck in Hermione's throat as she sat up from her bed, hand under her pillow gripping her wand. Memories from a war long past were creeping up into her nightmares, filling her with unease. When she blinked and the fog of sleep faded, her tensed shoulders dropped with a deep full-body sigh.

Looking over at her bedside table for the time, there was a blinking red message from Harry on her protean coin resting atop a pile of books. An anxious feeling settled deep in her gut as she picked up the coin. "Rumours confirmed. Standard prep - stay safe." was all his message said.

She sighed, put her coin back down and stretched. Nightmare forgotten and replaced with worry, she bit her lip in contemplation. There were too many rumours going around, but only two would have Harry on edge for standard prep. _I'll have to wait to hear more later_ , she thought as she stood and got ready for her day.

She paused by her closest as she was leaving for work; instead of grabbing her usual case, she reached for her harness-bag made of a black dragonhide leather. A gift from Ron when all the whispers started circulating over the last two months. "A little sturdier than your beaded bag," he said, worry furrowing his brows together. So she kitted it out to the nines, anything and everything she would need, _just in case_. Standard preparation as Harry now called it.

 _Better safe than sorry._ She slipped the top strap of her bag through the belt loops of her pants and the bottom straps clipped together around her thigh. A moment later she'd flooed directly to Diagon Alley and headed straight for Gringotts and headed straight for the Curses and Wards Department in the lower levels.

It was early still that her floor was still empty. Three walls were lined with iron shelving from the floor to the ceiling. Books and trinkets and all sorts of miscellaneous equipment filled the shelves. The other wall was magicked to look like windows reflecting the weather outside. Candlelit chandeliers could only brighten the room so much, the fake windows were the best they could do to get decent light this deep into the building. Four rows of three desks lined the centre of the floor, and ornate golden partitions separated each desk for some privacy.

She'd been at her desk for less than ten minutes, barely even started on organizing her day's paperwork before Bill had come 'round; a frown on his face and a cup of tea ready for her in hand. "What's happened?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Kingsley is keeping word out of the prophet for now, at least until the Aurors have finished their scene report, but another Mask was seen last night. Two injured. Ron told me Harry wants to call in the Order for some discreet surveillance."

Hermione returned Bill's frown, her hand reaching for her bag to centre her nerves. "Four Death Eaters in two days… they're ramping up for something. Did they confirm anything about that rally? Harry mentioned rumours were confirmed, but the coin limitations didn't let him specify."

Bill shook his head. "No, but with how things have been escalating this month, I'd have to say they'd have a rally soon. Don't go out alone, especially in the evenings, Hermione. You'd be considered High Profile if they're looking for targets."

She swallowed the worry that rose. Almost eight years since the end of the war and darker times seemed like it was looming closer and closer with every passing day. Hermione couldn't say more when a goblin named Silvertooth approached them. "Weasley, Granger, I've reassigned your current projects, we're prioritizing you and two others on another assignment."

Hermione shared a look with Bill knowing their talk was far from over, but they both nodded to Silvertooth in acknowledgement.

"What's the assignment?" Bill asked as he reached for the paperwork and portkey Silvertooth presented.

"Something or someone has tampered with the protective wards we have over a ley line node."

Hermione started in alarm. "Which one?" The nodes were highly protected as they powered the wards that kept Wizarding Britain hidden from the mundane world.

"Southern District, Line 7," he responded, "The rest of your team is already on route. Your portkey leaves in five minutes. You are to fix the hold in the warding and do everything you can to trace who or what tampered with it. No matter what, the node must be protected."

"Understood, Silvertooth," Bill and Hermione confirmed.

* * *

Southern District, Line 7 was just a disillusioned part of dense forest near South Downs. At the centre of the forest was a field, and in the middle of the field was the node. On first glance, the node looked like a simple stone obelisk that pierced into the ground. On a closer look, the stone had a translucent look to it, and depending on which way you glanced at it, the obelisk glimmered a golden hue.

South of the obelisk was an ornate stone archway that acted as the entryway. The surfaces of the stones were carved with intricate floral themes. Runes of protection etched along the inner edges. In a circle surrounding the obelisk, starting on either side of the archway were twenty-seven large standing stones of varying heights; each also pierced into the ground and each one with a powering and moderating rune carved into the centre and filled with gold for the warding scheme.

The whole area thrummed with energy that was both awe-inspiring and terrifying; the fact that someone or something was tampering with this amount of energy was unsettling. Around the standing stones and the obelisk, flowers were thriving from the magical energy. The grass was greener and lush in these fields than any park she'd ever been too. The surrounding forest, while slightly ominous, was healthy and thriving to protect the life around them. Even the air smelled cleaner here, Hermione noticed.

When Hermione and Bill landed, they were still in the forest and had to trek a few minutes to the warding site. Their colleagues were already there; Cindy Chambers, a woman with long dark hair tied up in a high ponytail, was running the perimeter, setting up her wards and checking the ones that were already in place to see who or what may have approached the obelisk. Lewis Wong, a tanned man, also with dark hair was by the archway, inspecting and powering the runes.

Bill went straight for the circle of stones to do what he did best, hunt for any curse work that lay within the stones or the secondary wards.

Lewis looked up as Hermione approached. "Morning, Granger. We left the obelisk for you, figured you'd be better suited to it than the rest of us. But when you're done, I'd like your opinion on this keystone," he said pointing up at the top-centre stone of the archway. "I think it might be a tamper point."

Hermione glanced at it as she passed and nodded. The keystone was a lot simpler in design compared to the connecting ones of the archway. There were no floral carvings, just plain white stone and on the front-facing surface, a torch was carved into the stone on either side of the protruding face of a hound. Some of the protective runes on the inner facing were slashed through, breaking the sequence in the arch.

"I see what you mean. I'll take a look in a moment, my diagnosis shouldn't take too long."

And then she set to work.

* * *

They were just about to break for lunch when Cindy's alert flare soared above them, the gold light sizzling as it passed, it was followed by her patronus, a raven. "Death Eaters breached my first ward. They have a ward buster and are working through my second layer now."

It was the first time in Hermione's six years in Curse and Warding, that she'd seen an alert flare outside of training. A tremor passed through Hermione and she pushed through the feeling of panic and fear that rose. They all burst into action, rushing to pack their notes and gear.

Bill swore under his breath as they re-grouped by the archway. Cindy came running through the treeline, "Hurry!" she yelled.

"What the hell are Death Eaters doing here?" Lewis asked.

"I was in the middle of dismantling a third surveillance charm on one of the standing stones. They must have a tether on another stone or something for notifications. They're likely the ones who've been tampering with the protections here. Whomever they hired to set everything is a helluva good curse worker," Bill said grudgingly.

"I'll start working on putting up protection wards over the obelisk. We can't let them finish whatever they're trying to do," Hermione said as she zipped her kit closed and moved her wand up to start casting.

Cindy, who was helping Lewis with his cleansing gear, winced then stood abruptly. "Shite." she swore, "My second ward is down. We'll have minutes before they reach us," she said, "I'll head them off, finish the warding and then get out of here."

Lewis passed his notes to Bill and moved to follow Cindy, "I'll help her. Prioritize the ward, and then the notes."

Hermione and Bill nodded, determination set on their faces but Cindy was right, it was less than five minutes before the spells were flying. Everything happened too fast. One moment, Hermione and Bill were finishing the first layer of protective wards, the next, five Death Eaters were approaching from the eastern side of the circle and they weren't playing safe.

Cindy was struck down, taking a Death Eater with her, when three Masked people went straight to overpower her. Lewis had engaged the other two, holding his own though struggling.

Hermione yelled in anguish as she saw the curse cut her friend down and she didn't get up again. She ducked under a spell and then went head-on targeting the Death Eater who laughed at her despair.

Bill fought his way back towards her when they'd been separated while dodging spells. When he reached her, they fought back to back. "They set up anti-disapparition and port-key wards, we'll have to finish the warding and then run and hope to find the boundary limitations."

Hermione growled, "Damn them." She managed to stun a Death Eater in the same breath that they sent a piercing spell to her shoulder.

Across the field, she saw another Death Eater go down and Lewis struggling to regroup with her and Bill. Hermione knew one of them had to leave with the notes and one of them had to stay with the obelisk while the warding was still weak.

"Bill, you have to run and use the portkey," she said as they ducked behind one of the standing stones. It glowed as it absorbed whatever spell was sent their way.

"And leave you all here? That sounds like suicide!"

"Our primary assignment is to protect the node! We'll do what we must," Hermione argued, "Lewis won't have a portkey on him because he lives just a pop away. I'm the fastest warder of the two of us. It'll be better if I stay."

"I don't like this."

"It doesn't matter what we like. Right now, we need those notes out of here and reinforcements. There should have been a response from Head Office by now with Cindy's flare, but no one's come. There has to be another block in whatever warding they've set up."

"Fine," Bill bit out before he disillusioned himself and ran off while she sent off more spells as a distraction. Hermione hoped that he'd make it.

She took a calming breath as she ducked behind the stone again, narrowly missing a purple coloured spell to the face. There were two shouts off to the side. She turned in time to see another Death Eater go down and Lewis stumble next to her. He was bleeding heavily from a large slice on his leg and a cut over his brow.

Her shoulder injury was bleeding sluggishly and any scrapes and cuts she caught from grazing debris only stung.

"Bill left with the notes?" he asked.

She nodded. "And for reinforcements." Hermione waved her wand to try and heal as much of their wounds as possible.

"Good. That last fucker you were fighting fell back. Likely to regroup as well. How long do you think backup will take?" Lewis hissed in pain as he watched the slice knit itself back together.

"I couldn't say. With Cindy's flare, they should have been here by now. We can only hope that they get here before the masks come back."

Lewis nodded. He didn't look hopeful, a grim look took over his usually kind and warm eyes. "I'll work on trying to dismantle this anti-disapparition and portkey. You work on the node."

They set to work as quickly as they could. In fifteen undisturbed minutes, her ward was up to two layers and as strong as she could make it in the time constraints. She said as much to Lewis as she set out to assist him; if they couldn't dismantle the ward, they could try and hack it to key themselves in. "I can't say my ward will survive more than two strong ward busters though."

"They're expensive... being hopeful, they might only have one left on hand. I know Cindy's work, and her secondary ward would have needed at least two mid-range busters or one really strong one."

Hermione felt the Death Eaters breach her intent wards, she hadn't had enough time to set one up for the perimeter, both Lewis and herself too nervous to break away without back up to set a ward up near the treeline.

They braced themselves for the onslaught of spells flying their way. "We only have to hold on until help gets here. They'd have to come from the portkey point and run up," Lewis said.

Though that was always easier said than done. The two of them completely outnumbered and drained from both the warding and earlier fight. Three Death Eaters focused on Lewis, another three on herself, and there were three more who'd set their sights on her ward over the obelisk.

The healing she'd done on her shoulder tore open from another spell. "Stupid mudblood," A Death Eater spoke to her for the first time after she'd retaliated to the slicing hex with one of her own, "stay down."

Her slice incapacitated one of her assailants and she acted quickly enough to target another with a boiling charm on their blood. She heard rather than saw Lewis go down, and felt the combined efforts of more Death Eaters focusing on her. She couldn't count how many converged in that field. It was as though where one would go down, two more would take its place.

A cutting curse caught her on the ankle that had her stumbling down to the ground. She yelped when a Death Eater was on her in seconds. They'd grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back towards the obelisk. She kicked and struggled but another grabbed her wand from her hand.

"The Order arrived at the key-point. They'll be here in five. You have to overpower it," one of the Masks said.

"Talver, cut them off," another said, "be quick."

The one gripping her hair pulled her as close as they could get to the obelisk. "Use her! Her signature is all over this damn ward."

They pressed her against the invisible dome, and someone worked the ward buster, a palm-sized rectangular silver slab that was covered in runic formulas, against her bleeding shoulder. Hermione felt the magic push against her like she'd been run over by a pack of hippogriffs tackling the air from her lungs. She couldn't be sure how long they kept at it as black started to creep along the edges of her vision. She gasped when she felt her wards shatter and oxygen filtered back.

Shoved aside, Hermione struggled to catch her breath and orient herself. The Death Eaters had taken position around the obelisk, each one holding an orb in their outstretched hands.

The obelisk was shining brightly and emitting heat. The magic that has been silently thrumming across the field earlier that morning was now roaring like they were in the eye of a hurricane. "What are you doing?" She screamed, "This is madness! Whatever you have planned won't work if you destroy the obelisk and its connection to the ley line!"

They didn't move, didn't seem to have even heard her over the wild magic swirling around them now. Hermione thought she heard her name being called in the background. Instead of turning to it, she tried to force her magic forward to stabilize the ley line. But it wasn't enough. Magic pulsed from the obelisk. Once. Twice. Time slowed for just a moment as the light dimmed until everything was pitch black. There was another pulse of energy. Then three more pulses in quick succession and time rushed forward again; magic glowed in a swirling light from the base of the obelisk to the point and then burst.

Hermione barely managed to bring her arms up in time to shield her face as she was thrown back by the magical backlash. Bright white light blinded her vision. The sound of the explosion covered her scream. She felt like she was burning alive and electrocuted at the same time and the taste of copper coated her tongue. The fresh clean air she'd noticed on her arrival was now polluted with a heavy smoke that scratched her lungs. Time seemed to have slowed again as she soared through the air, magic sparking across her skin. When she finally landed on the ground with a rough thud, she welcomed the darkness that took over. She felt no more.

* * *

Hermione woke wet, cold, and in pain. The grass was long and lush underneath her fingertips. She rolled onto her back realizing it was raining lightly. For a moment, she laid there, confused about why she was sleeping outside but the memories were quickly flooding back to the forefront of her mind. She sat up with a wince and saw she was still in the field but the obelisk was gone. The circle of stones and the archway looked more like ruins; moss and vines grew over most of the standing stones and the archway was missing a lot of its foundation, and most obviously it's keystone from the top centre.

The field itself and the surrounding treeline looked more wild and untamed; weeds grew rampant across the field. There were no signs of a struggle, no Death Eaters, and neither bodies of Cindy or Lewis were in sight.

No wand either, she thought, before opening her bag and pulling out her spare. She didn't like using Bellatrix's wand, but it would have to do until she can find hers again, or get another one. She first set to healing and cleaning what she could of her wounds, she didn't want to dig into her potions supplies if she didn't have too. Once she was home, she'd have someone from the Order look at it.

When she was done, she set out to do a surface scan of the ley line and the node but paused. There weren't any wards over the area. No traces of any wards of any kind for centuries. "That doesn't make any sense…" She murmured. She inspected the field and ran a quick diagnosis of the ley line. She stared at the result on the glowing report that showed up on the warding book. It looked like until today, the ley line had been dormant. It was active now, but weak. She set about putting up a ward over the area and strengthening the ley line as much as she could. "I'll have to bring this up to Silvertooth…"

She paced in thought and noticed a small stone glowing hidden within the overgrown weeds. Curious, she thought as she picked it up, inspecting it and finding it warm under her touch. It was shaped like the obelisk, though instead of towering over her, it was palm-sized. There were parts of the obelisk that were cracked and chipped, but something gold filled in the gaps keeping everything together, reminding her of Japanese kintsugi pottery. The power within it felt like the pulsing magic she'd felt from the node before everything went to shite. _Was this what the node became?_ She wondered.

She pocketed it without another thought. She'd have to get to the Office first, and then the order. Once she felt stable enough, she pulled out her emergency portkey set to her flat, but nothing happened. She frowned, reworking her magic, but still, nothing happened. She'd have to apparate… Hermione bit her lip, without the wards or the interference from the ley line, this far away from the office shouldn't be too much of a risk. She'll go to the nearest safe point instead of directly to the Alley, she decided.

Destination. Determination. Deliberation.

In a pop, she was in a shadowed part of London where it was raining harder than it was at the field. She walked quickly to where the Leaky was and stopped short. The Leaky wasn't there. In what was supposed to be the old familiar pub was a decrepit building that'd been burned down.

She looked for the telephone box to enter the ministry but there were no options for entry. Hermione clenched and unclenched her hands. Breathing in deep and slow to prevent panic.

_If there's no Alley, I'll go to the Order._

She thought of Grimmauld Place and was there moments later. Number 12 wasn't hidden by any fidelus, there was light in the windows for once; the family she could see just behind the open curtains was not one she recognized at all.

She tried to apparate to her flat but again nothing happened. When she tried the street her home was on, the building was not the brownstone she remembered but a fancy glass highrise.

Try as she might, panic was settling in and no amount of deep calm breathing was helping. Her head spun still feeling weak from the fight, and her injuries, not entirely healed, were starting to twinge from all the apparating.

She paused from her aimless pacing, noticing the news stand off to the side. The dates on each of the papers calling out to her like a beacon. She grabbed a paper with shaky hands and paled.

Monday, October 13, 2014.

_October 13th, 2014._

**Twenty-fourteen?**

Mind racing. Eight years? The lack of access to the wizarding world could be a possible side effect of whatever the Death Eaters did to the node? A lock-down measure she'd only heard whispers about, no one in, no one out? She tried to control her breathing and felt herself sway on her feet.

"Alright there, missus?"

She turned too quickly to look at whoever addressed her but her vision blurred instead and it was dark again.

* * *

**Friday, October 31st 2014**

Hermione sat in the middle of the ruined circle of stones where the obelisk should have been with her notebook. Next to her, she had a map of the field from her work assignment and a map from the current world. The tent she'd been living in was deep within the treeline disillusioned. The maps themselves looked near identical. Only very slight changes in where some of the lines connect were the differences she'd found so far.

She'd been in this strange world for almost three weeks and the more she researched the more she decided she was not in the future of her universe, but more likely an alternate one altogether. No matter what she did, or where she went, any traces of a wizarding community did not exist. There was no Hogwarts, or Hogsmeade, no Diagon Alley or Ministry.

After waking up in the hospital on the 14th of October 2014, listed as Jane Doe, Hermione reigned in the panic that wanted to burst. She didn't have time to worry or panic over this living nightmare, what she needed was to plan. In quick order, she found her bag, she'd changed out of the hospital gown and stole a medkit with a little bit of guilt before she disapparated. The first place she had done was to search for her parents.

Her parent's dental practice looked exactly as she remembered, but it was not called Granger's Dentistry. Instead, the blue sign outside read Puckle's Smile. The woman who looked like her mother went by Hermione Puckle, and her daughter in this world was named Monika and she worked the front between her appointments. Hermione thought this version of her had taken after her father's straight light brown hair instead of her mother's wild curls. Her father in this world was not in the picture.

From there, she tried tracking down Harry or Ron, or the rest of the Weasleys. There was no luck in finding anything about a Harry Potter that looked like her friend. And while she'd found the Weasleys in Ottery St Catchpole looking the same, fire red hair and all, they'd only had five children and not seven, and most of them girls this go around.

Only after she'd been beaten down by the first rough week, did she allow herself a moment to cry. In the safety of her tent by what should have been the obelisk, she couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Like a dam that broke, she sobbed into her hands, a blanket wrapped around her shoulder did nothing to ease the chill that took over her. She mourned for Cindy and Lewis. She cried for her fears and her worries and the sheer fact that she was alone. Alone for the first time with no friends, no family, in some unknown alternate universe that already has a version of her, and with no way home.

When the moment passed and she managed to compose herself, Hermione did what she did best. She planned and researched. Decided to focus her time and energy on the ley line. If it brought her here, it was possible that it could, one day in theory, bring her home.

Her arrival and consequent awakening of the ley line had caused a minor power outage in the nearby town; it only lasted two hours or so from the gossip she got at the market, but none of the townsfolk seemed to approach the circle. Most of them were superstitious, and despite the lack of mushrooms for an actual fairy ring, they avoided the circle to not disturb anyone or anything and keep any bad luck away.

That superstition had been working in Hermione's favour until today. She tensed when she felt a muggle approach her intent wards for the third time. Her secondary wards should have suggested they turn around, the reasons on a random rotation: an emergency, forgetting to turn off the stove, or being late to an appointment, being some of them. This person though… they'd brushed off the suggestion regularly within thirty minutes, which meant something else may be at play here.

Curious, Hermione packed up her notes and tucked it away in her bag. She stood, disillusioned and walked carefully towards the northern part of the surrounding forest. There, pacing near the boundary of her wards, though not close enough to the secondary ones to reach the suggestion point, was a man dressed in all black. The intent ward showed her the man's frustration and a medium-high ranged level of danger though he was calm. From experience, it was never a good combination.

The man was taller than her, easily by a foot, and his frame bulky. If she weren't magical, Hermione would have been concerned about being able to fight against him without any training in defence. She couldn't see the colour of his hair from where she stood, as it hid under a dark black cap.

She debated her next plan of action and was about to turn away when she saw the man pull something from a pouch strapped to his side, one much like her own bag though his much bulkier. He pressed a button on the circular object and it began to glow a neon blue, and a light though high pitched hum irritated her ears.

And then he threw it in her direction. She jumped out of the way, but startled when whatever the device was, made her ward visible for about ten seconds; a faint golden dome over the centre of the field from tree line to tree line. She watched the man pace back and forth slowly closer to the edge of the second boundary. He eyed his device but didn't approach. Instead, he seemed to nod to himself and turned away.

Hermione's mind raced at the implications of the technology this world had to offer. She rushed to pick up the device and pocketed it before following the man. She couldn't allow someone who registered this dangerously near her ley line before she was finished protecting it.

She tried to keep her steps light as she followed him into the forest; but she knew right away, even disillusioned, he was trained in the same school as Mad-Eye Moody. Constant Vigilance. She had a feeling he knew the moment she stepped into the forest with him because he'd paused by one of the larger trees, his hand reached to his side.

Creeping around another tree to use as a shield, she waited, wand raised and prepared to aim. Her hunch was right though, as he drew a gun and fired in her direction before she could spell him.

The bang of the gun was louder than she thought it'd be and it sent her heart racing. The shot was close. Too close for comfort, which considering she should be invisible to muggles, would have been impressive if she wasn't so terrified. Hermione pushed forward again when he seemed to be looking around to aim.

Wand up and ready again, this time she stunned him before he could fire again with better aim. She waited with bated breath as he fell. When he didn't move, she approached.

With a little hesitation, she took the gun and packed it in her bag. Then she searched him. All his pockets and pouches emptied. He was American from the identifications. She duplicated them in case. One device told her the date and time, and indicated that it was locked and neither buttons on either side unlocked it; one turned the screen off again; when she pressed another too many times in quick succession, it set off an alarm and offered to call emergency services. She cancelled the request and wondered if she had a mobile phone on her hands, she'd never seen one look the way his did, which was worrying if he was the type to keep notes on his phone.

She held it, wondering how she could get away with taking his things to study. It'd be tricky to replace the memory with a mugging. He was trained and skilled enough to defend himself, and unlikely to be a target in the first place. If all the devices he carried could reveal magic, she didn't know if they were purchased, if they were available to a mass market, black market, or what. But he came here with intent and any memory that implied he left before getting answers, he'd likely become suspicious.

Reluctantly, she put everything back into his pockets the way she'd found them, unsure what most of them were. One pouch on his vest had a pin hidden underneath a flap which she thought was a strange place for a pin. She felt uneasy by the imagery, but also silly for feeling that way. It was circular and had a black backing. There was a red outer border and in the centre, there was a red skull and what looked like six tentacles fanning out from underneath it. _Of course there was a skull_ , she thought. The only people giving her trouble these days seemed to love the motif.

When she was done, she pointed her wand again. Taking his memory and putting one in its place, letting him find the circle of stones and whatever he was looking for was not there. The device he threw malfunctioned and burst, sending him flying and knocking him unconscious.

She levitated him back into the field and with some regret, gave his gun back to him. One more stun for good measure, she rushed away towards her tent and began dismantling. It'd be safer to change locations for the next while. Just in case.

* * *

**Saturday, November 22nd, 2014**

The chilly weather was something that Hermione was very used to, but the loneliness... That feeling was settling deep into her bones and it was a fight to push forward. But that's what she did. Because she was Hermione Granger and a Gryffindor. And if there was one thing Gryffindors did best aside from foolish bravery, it was to persevere. It wouldn't be easy, but she couldn't let it get her down, no matter how much it tried too.

It was still early. Sun not even peeking over the horizon. Hermione sat in her tent, notes spread out on the table at the centre of the space, her medkit just off to the side, still open and waiting to be re-organized.

She couldn't stay near the ley line. She'd powered and protected it as much as she could, but it was clear that no matter how much she'd strengthen it on her own, it wasn't enough to bring her home. She'd need more time, more research, and a cross-examination of her memories to figure out exactly what happened that day in the field.

But she couldn't stay here. Being too close to the ley line for too long was no longer safe. Especially after yesterday's events.

Ever since that man had approached the circle all those weeks ago, she'd taken to rotating her campsite for safety, but coming back to the ley line to work nearly every day. Her obliviate seemed to have only deterred him for a week, and when he came back, he brought two friends.

They hadn't approached the circle, instead, studying from a distance but it still left Hermione on edge as they breached her intent wards day after day with new devices she couldn't experiment with. She was both frustrated and fascinated with this world's technology, as she watched them subtly interact with her wards, on a surface level, as though testing what boundaries and restrictions she's added since the first encounter. The major addition was to ping any weapons, and they carried plenty. Whoever they were or whoever they worked for was no one she wanted to cross paths with.

She'd been heading to the nearby town to stock up on some fresh vegetables at the market when she saw the man again. He'd had one of his friends with him, a blond dark-skinned man in contrast to his brown hair and pale skin. When one of them glanced at her, she tried not to tense up and continue on her way.

 _He never saw what you looked like,_ she thought as she walked a little more quickly. There weren't any others on the street because of the heavy rain and Hermione cursed her luck. She held her gasp when they came up to her, a surprisingly gentle tap on the shoulder.

Looking up at them, she asked, "Can I help you?"

"You can tell us what you're doing at the circle of stones," the dark-haired man she'd obliviated said.

Hermione looked toward the friend who moved to stand behind her, boxing her in. "I'm not sure what you mean." Her heart was pounding in her chest, adrenaline pumping and nerves ramping up.

"Don't make this harder on yourself. We know you're a mutant, and you're working on something in the circle. You either tell us what it is and we can work together or we'll just force it out of you."

Hermione glared at him. Eyes narrowing on the term they called her. "You've mistaken me for someone else," she said, pushing past them, abandoning her plans for the market to get back to the forest and the safety of her tent.

One grabbed her arm and pulled her towards their car. "We'll pay you handsomely for your efforts."

"I don't want your money." Hermione pulled her arm from his grip. She didn't know what mutant was, but if she can hide her magic under that term, she'd take it. She ducked under the arm that reached for her again and with as much concentration as she could, channelled a bit of magic into her hand and pushed the man away, sending him back into his friend and the both of them skidding across the sidewalk.

She'd only done that twice before during training in her world and it took too much out of her to try again while they were still in pursuit, but the distraction served its purpose and she apparated away to the treeline where her tent was.

When she landed the last of the men was there, gun out and waiting. He fired a shot that she narrowly dodged. "She's here." He said, likely into whatever communication device he might have.

Her mind was racing. How did they know it was her? was the primary thought underneath all the controlled panic. She tried to think back on all the interactions with her wards they'd had while she was on the field. Nothing came to mind. Unless they'd done something on a day she hadn't come to study, but then, her ward should have indicated that it'd been breached. She put it out of mind, she couldn't worry about that just then.

And she started running again, hoping to reach the boundary of the ward around her tent before the man caught up. He was surprisingly quick for the terrain they were on. She ducked behind a large tree too late to dodge another attack and something caught her on her side, digging into her skin. She decided to risk the apparition and tried to make the pop over to her tent boundary as silent as she could to prevent him from pinpointing her location.

She had to be quick. Her movements felt uncoordinated and Hermione swore as she glanced at the strange pin blinking red and sticking out of her side. She ripped it out with a hiss and crushed it under her boot. She was slower than she'd liked in dismantling and packing her home.

"It's another circular perimeter," she heard someone say before the attack started again.

All three of them had caught up to her this time. One threw the glowing device much like that first one from the circle. Instead of sailing through her ward, this one collided with it setting off golden sparks. Hermione watched in alarm as it worked almost like a mid-range ward buster before her magic overpowered it. They had another one on her ward seconds later. A third device they flying at her burst into a strange smoke that danced across the grass.

"There!" one of the men shouted, and she was confused for all of a second before she realized the smoke on the ground revealed her position despite any disillusion her ward offered her. Guns were aimed and firing in moments her wards fell. These guns were different, stronger than the handguns previously aimed at her as they burst through the trunks of trees around her.

She swore again but the tent was finished and flying into her hands. She barely had it in her bag before she popped away, anywhere as far away from here as possible. She tumbled in her landing spraining her ankle, but she rolled back up and kept rushing forward, popping away again in case.

She apparated twice more ending in the Forest of Dean. She set up wards in record time but waited until nightfall to set up her tent, just in case they managed to track her and she needed to leave again. And even with the tent up, and the wards in place she fell into a fitful sleep.

By three in the morning, she'd given up on sleep and decided it'd be best to come up with a plan first. She tried not to regret showing her hand, especially to unknowns. But what was done, was done. She didn't know where they were, didn't want to waste energy on tracking them in the attempts of obliviating them. They were trained enough in something to overcome it, and aware of other powers.

First and foremost, she had to decide what to do next. If she was stuck here for who knows how long, she'd need to find work eventually before her funds would run low. She didn't want to live in her tent long term. If… if the worst came to worse and she was living in this universe permanently, she'd have to eventually find peace here.

By sunrise, she'd had the basics of an outline planned, a small breakfast put together with what she had. And then she went to scratch the first thing off her to-do list.

The library.

The man called her a mutant and that gave her a lead on what magic could have manifested as in this seemingly mundane world. She'd taken over a corner computer on the upper level of the library near her childhood home. It took some practice, as she'd never really been one for technology, even in her world. She read article after article about mutants, mutates, which led into a whole other world of vigilantes, superheroes and supervillains. It was like something out of a movie or a novel. Though, when she thought about it, the same could have been said about the wizarding world of her universe. It was overwhelming, and she didn't know what the best ways would be to approach any of the seemingly safe groups for sanctuary.

A notification popped up on her screen letting her know that her three hours were almost up and she could top up at the front desk or finish her session. Hermione stretched and decided it was best to rest her eyes; not used to staring at a screen for so long her eyes felt dry, it wasn't the same as reading over piles of books.

Heading into the coffee shop next to the library, she ordered a drink and a sandwich grabbed a free newspaper from the counter and chose a table as far away from a window as possible. Idly she browsed through the current news and nearly choked on her sandwich.

There was a photo of Dean Thomas in the event ads. She'd recognize him anywhere. According to the paper, his name in this world was Thomas Dean, but he was still pursuing art. It wasn't magical moving paintings from her universe but still very beautiful from the previews. She hesitated before she jotted down the address of the gallery in her notebook.

* * *

There was an hour before Dean's show would close for the night and Hermione paid the small entry fee and walked in to support the only friend she'd found in this world. She took a copy of the exhibit pamphlet and a business card.

His art, despite the lack of magic, was still very magical. The rolling landscapes he'd showcased while not Hogwarts, felt very much like what Hogwarts could have been in this world. All the original paintings were indicated as being sold, but smaller printed copies of the work were also available for purchase; it looked like the print sales were going towards a charity for LGBTQ teenage support. She wondered if he was dating a version of Seamus in this world.

Her breath caught at a portrait of a woman who looked a lot like Luna. It was titled Little Moon, dated 2013 and listed as oil on canvas. The background of this portrait was a dark blue night sky. Luna's hair seemed to glow like moonlight. It was a side view of her friend leaning forward, face tilted up, eyes closed and long lashes just gently brushing the top of her cheeks. Decorating Luna's hair were dainty pink blooms. She looked very faerie like, whimsical, and very much like what she'd remembered her as.

She swallowed the loneliness that crept up. "Why does this painting make you feel sad?" The voice is all too familiar.

Hermione startled. Her eyes widened coming face to face with Dean. He looked the same. Smiled the same. Everything about him seemed the same. It was jarring to know this man wasn't her friend, and even though she knew it was silly, she felt hurt that he hadn't recognized her. Before today, this Dean hadn't even known she'd existed.

"Sorry," she mumbled, looking away and back to the painting, "She… she just reminds me of a friend I miss very much is all."

"Did you love this friend?" he asked.

She smiled, while she hadn't been close to Luna during Hogwarts, too rigid in her views on books and facts, the years following had opened up space for them to have an interesting friendship; Luna's insight and intuition with magic always inspired her to improve on her warding. She nodded.

He returned the smile and those deep dimples creased his cheeks. Hermione tried to reign in the melancholy. She knew, in theory, that if she'd found someone she recognized, spoke to them, they'd likely not know her. But in practice, the emotions that took over was another story, another level of alienation all together. "Well, I'm happy that this reminds you of someone you love, even if it's a sad feeling."

"I suppose you must enjoy it when your work evokes strong emotions," she replied.

He nodded with a glance at his painting before turning back to Hermione. "I'm Thomas by the way, I haven't seen you around these circles before."

Hermione reached for his outstretched hand. "Hermione and I'm just passing through. I saw the ad in the paper this morning."

"Thank you for coming," he said genuinely pleased with her visit.

"Your work is very beautiful," she praised, "But you've probably heard that a million times."

He laughed the same laugh she heard in the Gryffindor common room, or at the Gryffindor gatherings for drinks at the pub. Dean… or rather Thomas shrugged, "It's always nice to have our hard work praised."

"What's her name?" she asked pointing to the portrait, "Luna?"

He smirked, "Good guess! But no, her name is Selene. We met in uni, both artists."

She rose a brow in curiosity, "Really? I hope it's not bad form to ask what kind of art she does too?"

He shook his head, insisting that sharing his friends' art always made him happy. He pulled out his mobile and showed her something called Instagram. He seemed amused that she'd had no idea what it was. He opened up a profile and showed her Luna- Selene's work. All of Luna's whimsical mystical imagination from her world was brought to life in this world through paintings and sculptures. She noted she still had the last name of Lovegood.

They talked, Hermione getting to know her friend again in this new universe and something about it felt like they were just catching up. They talked until the exhibit closed for the night, and Hermione worried that she'd taken up all of his time to speak with others interested in his work. But he waved away her worries, insisting the ones left exploring the exhibit hall were people he knew and spoken too already.

He offered to continue their conversation at a little pub down the way, to meet Selene and a few other of his friends who were waiting on him. Hermione thanked him for the invitation, but she wasn't ready to look at Luna and see zero recognition in her eyes. They'd parted ways, but Hermione promised that if she was around and he'd have another exhibit, she'd try and make it. He told her that he'd hold her on that promise, and teased her to get on social media.

* * *

When Hermione landed in the boundary of her ward in front of her tent, she let the tears she'd been holding at bay. She couldn't remember ever feeling this lonely, not even as a child growing up near friendless before Hogwarts. But, speaking with Dean- Thomas, she corrected in her head, she found hope.

The people she knew who could exist in this world… they were likely the same she knew in her own world, names and some physical differences aside of course. She could work with this. There were contacts in her world, questionable some may be, but contacts nevertheless and acquaintances she had from the curse-breaking side of her job.

She should search them out, to get herself on steady feet in this world. And once she was settled, she could continue to work on finding a way home.

Hermione stared up at the ceiling of her tent rolling and twirling the obelisk stone in her hands, letting its magic calm her.

For the first time since arriving in this confusing world, she'd slept through the night without a nightmare and when she woke the next morning, the worry and stress and loneliness she'd been carrying felt lighter.

She stood straighter, shoulders back with no burden; her wand was up and quickly dismantling her tent to be packed away. She was going to Paris, she decided, and something in her magic just knew that that was the best next step.

* * *


	2. Persevere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a bit of a time-jump from the first chapter to this one, but don't worry it's the only big jump this fic will have. Also, as we're currently set in France, assume all conversations are in French unless stated otherwise.

**Friday, June 10th, 2016**

Hermione was hunched in the back room, clipboard balancing on her knees and a pen in hand.

"What are you doing?" A deep voice interrupted the silence making Hermione jump, clipboard clattering to the floor; the back of her head narrowly missing the edge of the shelf above her.

"What have I told you about sneaking up on me, Gladiolus!" She scolded with a scowl on her face. She picked up her clipboard. "And I'm doing the inventory. I wanted to put in the orders for some of the top-shelf bottles by tomorrow."

Gladiolus LeBlanc was a tall and built older man, his dark hair streaked with white. His eyes a bright grey. There was a scar that started above his left brow and cut towards his ear. He dressed in a crisp white button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows showcasing the tattoos that covered his skin up to his wrists. His shirt was tucked into black pants that were fitted into combat boots. He took the clipboard from her and set it on a shelf with a nod.

"I'll finish this later. Let's get you home and I'll see you on Sunday."

Hermione blinked. "Sunday?"

Gladiolus nodded. "Sunday," he confirmed. "The bar will be closed tomorrow."

She narrowed her eyes up at him. "You're closing the bar," she repeated suspicion set in her voice. "On a Saturday? You never close the bar on Saturdays. Did something happen?" She had noticed he'd been acting strange and distant all evening. Well… more distant anyway. Gladiolus always kept to himself, in this world and her old one.

Than man merely wrapped an arm around her shoulder and guided her away from the backroom, placed her bag in her hands and ruffled her hair. Her scowl deepened at the clear avoidance. "It's nothing that concerns you, I have business tomorrow and so we'll be closed," he said.

He led her to his car, opened the passenger side door and motioned her to get in.

"It's a ten-minute walk home, I'll be fine." She insisted.

He rolled his eyes and the same hand that ruffled her hair gently pushed her head down and into the car. "Humor me."

Hermione frowned and relented. When Gladiolus was in this mood, it was usually best to just follow his lead. The drive was silent and short; a little over five minutes and they were parked outside a white three-story building. The flat and location came at Gladiolus's recommendation when he'd learned she'd been living in a sketchy part of town last summer. The building itself only had four flats for rent, two on each floor while the main lobby housed the amenities and mailroom. Her flat was on the top floor on the left side and the one next to hers was vacant. She didn't fight him on the matter of moving into the place, the security tech he'd put around her flat was a nice incentive and it didn't hurt that it was so close to her work.

She turned to Gladiolus, looking at him searchingly, but even after two years, she knew he only gave information when he wanted to. Always kept his cards close to his chest until he was sure of what hand he was dealt. "Stay safe with your _business_ , and call me if you need anything. Anything," she stressed as she exited the car and shouldered her backpack.

He huffed. "I've been doing my _business_ longer than you've been alive."

"Doesn't mean I can't help." She leaned against the car door for a moment, waiting until she got a nod of acknowledgement from him. "I'll see you on Sunday?"

He nodded again. "You'll see me on Sunday. Stay safe."

"Thank you for the ride," She said as she shut the door and walked up to her building. She scanned in with her key fob and took the stairs up to the top floor. Her front door needed a passcode to be presented the keyhole. Once she was in the safety of her flat, her wards washed over her. When she closed her door, she pressed her hand on a sequence of runes she'd carved onto a silver square that she then fastened on to the side of her door frame. It activated the second and third layers of her wards, expanding out, one at around fifty metres and the other at hundred metres from her building. Neither warned muggles away, but it let her know if anyone with lethal intent approached or entered her building.

It took less than five minutes to power the three wards, and when she was done a soft mew greeted her. "Evening, Persephone," she greeted softly in return. She put her bag down on her couch and picked her cat up to cuddle. "I'm home a little early tonight."

Her small black cat with bright green eyes and a small patch of white fur on her front right paw meowed back. "I know," Hermione replied sagely. "It's very nice to be home early. And! I'm not working tomorrow."

She rubbed her cat between her ears and earned a deep rumbling purr in response. "I'm happy about it too. What do you think about sleeping in tomorrow, hmm?" She walked into her bedroom and set Persephone on the cat tree by the window and set about getting for bed.

Life in Paris was, for a lack of a better word, comfortable. Hermione had a job, a flat, some acquaintances, a friend in Gladiolus, and a cat. She had time to study and research a number of things, mostly catching up on this world's history which wasn't too different from her old world, but also in her search for magic.

Aside from the occasional wishes for home, she was content with the life she found here. And while she hadn't yet ever admitted it out loud, she felt like she was slowly coming to terms in finding peace with the fact that she might be here indefinitely.

Getting to Paris had been easy, she'd researched and saw the Eiffel Tower was exactly where it was in her old world. A few pops under the cover of night, she'd arrived on a cold November day almost two years ago.

The French she'd learned growing up after spending summers in France with her parents was an asset, and the time she spent perfecting her French with Fleur was something she was now extremely thankful for.

The first week, she'd stayed at a hostel paid in cash and fake IDs she'd copied from the American. She familiarized herself with what was the same and what was different from her old world; searched for any wizarding equivalents this city could have to offer but unsurprisingly came back with nothing.

From there, she'd gone searching for Gladiolus Black. In her world, Gladiolus was the son of a son of a disowned squib. A squib himself but still fully involved with the French Wizarding World. He'd owned a bar called L'Etoile Tordue, or the Crooked Star. There he had entertained questionable clients both mundane and magical where he dealt in information. Information on curses or equipment, information on a person or technology. If you needed something or someone, he knew who or where to direct you for the right price. He'd run his little bar with simple rules: you see nothing, you hear nothing. His bar had been almost neutral ground assisting anyone whether they'd aligned with dark or light magic for years. Of course, that was until he'd banned anyone with the dark mark from stepping foot onto his land after a Death Eater murdered his sister during the war.

Hermione tried not to feel guilty about already knowing this history without meeting this world's Gladiolus. She knew that the chances of their histories and personalities being very similar were high, and it felt a little manipulative taking advantage of it. But she resolved knowing if he'd been in her place, he'd have had no qualms about using his own acquaintances to his advantage.

It was one afternoon, on her second week in Paris that Hermione found what should have been a somewhat rustic-looking bar. Instead, a posh one, all modern clean sleek lines and black exterior stood in its place. In white cursive writing at the top of the entrance, read Pur. Hermione wondered if the family motto still rang true in this world.

Inside was just as modern looking as the outside. The walls were painted a dark velvety grey. The furniture was all black, sharp edges and detailed with gold trimming. The bar was a square at the centre of the floor, gold lights hung from the ceiling. There were only two patrons in the bar this early in the afternoon, but they sat by the corner and ignored her presence completely.

The man who looked a lot like Gladiolus was hunched behind the bar writing in a notebook and referencing from a laptop when she approached. "You can sit wherever you like," he said preemptively without looking up.

"I'd like to work here," she said instead knowing he appreciated honesty and getting straight down to business. "I'm Hermione Granger."

He had a cold grey stare, similar to the one from her old world, but she didn't look away and returned his steady gaze. "Non," he said and turned away, typing on his laptop. "You look like a soft breeze will knock you over."

"It won't," she said, "I won't be in your way. Please let me work here. I'll see nothing, hear nothing, and keep my mouth shut—"

He rose a hand. "What is it that you really want?" he asked still looking at his laptop. After a moment to finished what he was working on, he stood to his full height towering over her. Even with the counter of the bar separating them, he still had an intimidating presence.

"A job."

He twisted his lips. "You come here expecting me to believe that? Who sent you? Who are you?"

Hermione blinked, confused. "No one sent me. My name is Hermione Gran—"

He interrupted her again, turning his laptop to face her and pointing at the screen. He kept his voice low but the underlying threat was heard. "Try again. You'd think I'd be so stupid to believe that? You, an outsider, coming into the underground, into _my_ space, with a fake name or a fake face, spewing I see nothing, hear nothing, do nothing, and expect me to believe the only thing you want from me and my time is a job? You have one last chance to tell me. What is it that you want?"

Hermione stared at the screen of his laptop. It looked like a database of some sort. Rows and rows of photos of women, all looking different from the last, different ages, different flags on the corner likely stating where they were either born or maybe where they were currently living- she couldn't be sure. The one thing in common with all of them was the listed name underneath each photo. Hermione Granger. She gulped knowing her photo would never show up on any database.

"I swear to you, I am who I say I am. I— I can't explain that," she said pointing to the screen, "But I'm being honest. I'm just looking for work until I'm settled and if you're displeased, you can fire me. But I need this."

Something passed over his face, an emotion that Hermione couldn't identify because it was gone too quickly.

"I see," he hummed more to himself than to her. He turned the laptop around to face him again and didn't clarify. Hermione took a seat cautiously on the bar stool in front of him.

"What do I have to do, to make you trust me?" She asked.

"Honesty."

Before Hermione could answer he continued. He shut his laptop and focused all of his attention on her.

"Yes, you are being truthful about looking for work. But in this community, in the underground, things aren't always so simple. A job is a means to an end, and what is that end for you? Are you looking for something? Or are you running from something?"

"I... " Hermione rubbed the back of her neck, thinking about her end game and she had a feeling that Gladiolus found an answer in her hesitation. "I'd like to go home, but that's not something I'm currently able to do, or something you'll be able to assist me with. So, a job instead would be appreciated."

She could see him trying to piece together a story as he leaned forward, placing his hands on the bar in front of her. She could see the scars all over his hands and took it as the warning it was. "A month," he said, "And you'll be in the backroom out of sight before I decide. Ghosts like you need to earn my trust and if you don't, you'll really become a ghost."

Hermione held her sigh of relief and nodded.

"I understand."

* * *

**Saturday, June 11th, 2016**

With the unexpected day off, Hermione took advantage of her newfound free time to check up on the ley line node she'd found last summer and charge it for an hour or two before heading home. She packed up her bag with food and water and clipped her harness bag in place. She fed Persephone and promised a quick return.

Destination. Determination. Deliberation.

She was off-trail somewhere between Port Pin and Calanque d'En-Vau. It was nice and sunny out which meant the people were likely going to converge on the beach at the base between the cliffs. She'd have to trek fast to avoid anyone straying from the hiking trails and make her way into the cave she'd disillusioned with a ward and technology she bought off Gladiolus.

Finding the ley line had taken nearly a year of research and mapping and hiking and dead ends. But Hermione was determined and when she found this node, dormant and unprotected like the one in South Downs, she nearly cried in relief. Before this one, she'd discovered six other nodes but all of them had been dead and unresponsive to her magic and she'd been steadily losing hope on finding more.

Even after relocating to Paris, she had taken the time to go back to South Downs every few months to work on the warding around the ruined circle of stones. Under the cover of night, she brought the warding up slowly to Gringotts standards, managing what she could even with the limited equipment and supplies she had to power the ley line along the way. She hoped that if she could connect and power enough of the ley lines together, she could somehow use the energy to send her home. It was her current theory anyway after the first few plans failed spectacularly.

The cave, even without the illusion or cloaking tech hiding it, was still hard to spot if you weren't looking for it. The shadow of the entrance blended in with the rock face making it look like a flat surface and not a space you could enter. Hermione stood at the mouth of the cave and the runes she'd carved into the stone glowed briefly, almost as though it was welcoming her back. She'd quickly learned that the ley lines and the magic around them were almost sentient. She wondered if this was because it was her magic she was using to feed the line or if they'd always been that way.

It was dark but the ground was smooth for the first ten metres from the entrance before becoming jagged and rough. Getting to the centre required more climbing than walking at that point. Hermione, taking every opportunity she could to practice wandless magic, conjured a series of bluebell flames and had the orbs go ahead of her to light the way.

It was at least thirty minutes of climbing, before she made it to the node at the centre of the cave. There was a break in the ceiling letting in a streak of light from the left. Off to the right side of the cave was a small body of water glowing faintly from the magic she'd been imbuing into the space. A little deeper into the cave was a break in the walls that looked like a pillar and directly connected underneath it was the node of the ley line.

She sat at the base of the pillar and inspected the runes she'd been painstakingly carving into the surface to match the obelisk back in her old world. Each rune sequence was for powering, protecting, and moderating the flow of magic. She sighed in relief when she saw they were settling into the stone nicely and not cracking or damaging the pillar.

When she touched the powering rune and started channelling her magic into it, her necklace began to glow gold, noticeable even underneath her shirt. With her free hand, she pulled it out and smiled at the small obelisk stone from the field she'd converted into a pendant. Like magic called out to like magic. It was how she knew even if most of the ley lines in this world were dead, the dormant ones could still be connected after she woke them. She settled there for an hour letting her magic charge the pillar, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

The only thing that kept this location safer than the circle at South Downs was the fact that's it's natural landscape worked in her favour of staying hidden. Then, all the technology she'd come into contact with while working at Pur with Gladiolus had given her even better insight on how to rework her warding to keep her spaces hidden.

Magic thrummed a little stronger through the cave as it usually did after she did a charge. It wasn't enough to show up on any tech, but it was enough for her to feel it in the air. If she closed her eyes and imagined strong enough, it almost felt like she was home. She hadn't noticed it in her universe, how the energy of magic seemed to thrum everywhere within the Wizarding World. When she'd come here, the air seemed dead with the lack of magic, it left a strange empty feeling that only eased when she found time to relax around an active ley line. The dimming glow from her pendant brought Hermione out of her memory.

She stood, sighing and feeling stiff from sitting in the same position for so long. Stretching her stiff muscles, she spun slowly in a circle taking in the cave and ensuring her ward was still active. Finished and happy with her work for the day, she smiled and turned back the way she came.

When she was home and settled back at her dining table with her researched, she let Persephone leap onto her lap, brushing back her fur as she thought. Mapping out more potential locations for other nodes was time-consuming, but easy. It was activating them that was proving to be the real issue. When she'd first powered this ley line, she hadn't realized the pulse of energy she'd caused when awakening it had been felt causing whispers to erupt amongst the intelligence community in the underground. It hadn't been a pulse as big as the one she'd caused with her arrival, but still noticeable for those looking out for it. She hadn't been as invisible as she'd first thought.

She'd never forget the week after she'd activated the new ley line and been found out by Gladiolus.

It was another inventory night and she knew her boss was out on business and shouldn't have been back until the following day. Thinking she was alone, she was levitating a heavy box of wines to the top shelf in the storage when she heard the door behind her slam shut.

Hermione lost her concentration but luckily when the box fell, it was with a solid thus on the shelf, bottles rattling together but still kept intact. She whirled around, pale and eyes wide as she stared at Gladiolus's looming form at the doorway. He had a folder in hand and was looking at her expectantly.

She backed away pressing herself against a shelf to keep some space between her and her boss. She liked him, trusted him even, but you just never know how anyone in this world would react. Some people thought mutants were like mudbloods in this world. Her hand reached to her side where she'd tucked her wand. "Gladiolus! You're back early," she said weakly, putting her hands into her pocket to look unassuming, but she held onto her wand. Just in case.

"We need to talk," he said, reaching to the side his hand feeling along the back of one of the shelves. There was a hiss and then he was pulling open a door she hadn't known was there. There was a small flight of stairs leading down and he nodded his head at her to go ahead into the darkness.

She gulped but followed direction. The light from the back room died when he shut the door behind him. Hermione's breath hitched in worry at the silence and the darkness, and then flinched when a light flicked on.

A quick glance around, Hermione saw no visible exits, but she knew if things went south, she'd just disapparate. The room was surprisingly large, the walls cream in colour. There was a large brown leather couch with a coffee table on the left side of the room. In front of that on the right side was a desk that took over the whole wall. On the desk was a computer and multiple screens.

He sat her on the couch and slapped the folder he was holding onto the coffee table.

"One of the only things I ask for is honesty," he said folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the desk. He touched each of the screens and they came to life showing a camera feed of his whole bar. Hermione paled further, feeling a little dizzy by her stupidity. How hadn't she thought of cameras? She wanted to scream at herself realizing he must have seen her do her magic several times before today, likely biding his time before approaching her.

She pursed her lips in thought, but straightened her shoulders. Gladiolus wasn't threatening her like she'd seen him do to several clients of his. He was giving her an opening for communication.

"I haven't told anybody about my abilities," she said slowly, "And if you hadn't seen it for yourself, I don't think I'd have ever told you."

He frowned not liking the answer but didn't argue. "I understand. But I hope… I would like you to know that you can trust me."

She smiled at him softly, very aware of how trustworthy he could be. If he hadn't been, she wouldn't have searched him out in the first place. "I know, Gladiolus. It's why I came to you… I just don't like talking about it."

His finger tapped on his arm as he thought and Hermione didn't interrupt. She knew that even if he'd been aware and biding his time in approaching her, it was still something to come to terms with once faced with the reality of it. "This is why you're a ghost in the databases."

It wasn't a question. Hermione shrugged. "Yes, in a way."

He leaned forward and opened the folder. Inside were photos, grainy and not super clear, but it still made fear settle in her soul.

The first photo was the circle of stones, and a figure was standing near the ruined archway. It was her. Tell-tale curly hair, harness bag strapped to her left leg that day, and her notebook in hand had the Hogwarts crest visible on the cover. All things that Gladiolus has seen before. There was a date on the bottom right corner stating November 15th 2014.

The next few photos were similar, all of her working in and around the circle dating between the 15th to 20th of November. One of them was even of her at the nearby town at the market talking to the clerk. A hand came up to her lips to cover her frown. The other trembled as she reached for a photo. This… this answered the question that'd been plaguing her since she ran. This was how they knew who she was.

"Where did you get this?"

He moved from the desk and crouched next to her. "I found it. They were documented before the HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D files were released to the public on November 30th 2014. I've been slowly decrypting the files for my own personal interests."

"So anyone can get these?"

"Yes, but the amount of people who have the time and patience to decrypt the sheer amount of HYDRA files are few. As far as I have found, no one has yet figured you out, but that doesn't mean that other… organizations aren't aware of your existence and your apparent ability to manipulate a potential power source. I'd received a few inquiries over the weekend already asking if I'd found anything."

Hermione shook her head, dropping the photo back onto the table. "I don't understand what you're saying. How did they get these photos? I should not have been visible to technology!" She tried to keep her voice contained and calm the nervous energy coursing through her. Unable to keep still, she paced the length of the room.

Gladiolus scoffed and stood approaching the desk once more. "Whatever powers you have, HYDRA will always try and find a way to work around it or control it."

She clenched her fist, eyes narrowed. "Well, I'm going to find a way to work around that."

He nodded in agreement. "You'll have to, because whatever you did near Calanque d'En-Vau… there are whispers of another potential power source, and people are looking to me. There's only one photo, and it's not clear or as definitive as the ones from 2014," he said pulling a screen forward and flicking the information until it was a photo of the hiking trail near the ley line she'd activated. It was her again, but her curly hair was braided back and mostly hidden beneath a cap. She hadn't had her harness bag in this photo luckily, just a backpack.

"This photo is just speculation because they cannot confirm this person is the one who caused the power surge. But, satellite surveillance gives the impression that this person was the only person in that vicinity two hours before and after the surge." He puts the screen back in position when Hermione looked away. "Regardless. I know this is you. You told me you'd be in Cassis for your vacation. Others likely will not make the same connections that this occurrence, and the one in 2014 are by the same person. At least not right away. I have the advantage of knowing you. I know you came from Britain, I know you move here in November of 2014. The final report on those photos say you were last seen at the power source on the 21st. I know you showed up at my bar a few weeks later asking for a job."

Hermione's shoulders tensed, she knew she could trust him, but the fight or flight instinct was doing its best to kick in. She shifted subtly into a defensive stance. "What happens now then?"

Gladiolus rolled his eyes and moved to sit on the couch. "Fuck those HYDRA bastards. I do my very best to decrypt their files so that I can do everything in my power to fuck with them and their mission. Hermione, I'm offering you what protection I can. But I need the full story to help you."

And just like that, the tension dropped again. She settled back onto the couch next to him when he patted the space in invitation. She sighed and thought over what she was willing to share. "Before I do… you've mentioned Hydra a few times now. What the hell is Hydra?" The only one she knew of was the Hydra of Lerna from greek mythology.

He pulled out the last page from the folder on the table and it was a printed report about the circle of stones. She ignored the text, she barely even heard Gladiolus explain that HYDRA was a paramilitary organization hellbent on world domination. Instead she focused on the insignia at the top centre of the page. A circle with a skull and tentacles fanning out underneath.

 _Why was it always skulls_ , she thought.

* * *

**Tuesday, June 14th, 2016**

It was a nice warm and quiet evening at the bar. The only patrons in the bar were people she knew were part of the underground finding a moment of peace in neutral space. She knew Gladiolus was still holed up in his office, and the cook Etienne, her only other co-worker had stepped out for his third smoke.

Hermione stood behind the bar, a book open in front of her but eyes unseeing. Gladiolus had been acting strangely since Friday. She didn't think anything could spook her friend and boss, but something had him unsettled, which made her unsettled. The normally stoic man looked almost worried when he'd cornered her the moment she arrived at the bar on Sunday afternoon asking when she'd last been to London. And then asking how often she'd been back since she left.

She had answered truthfully, she'd only been back about six times since she'd ran. "What's happening?" she asked.

His tall frame seemed to sag but the expression on his face steeled. He hesitated before patting her shoulder gently, "Be vigilant, if you see or suspect anything, I want you to go to the backroom and get to safety. Even if it means teleporting."

"If that was your attempt to reassure me, Gladiolus, you're doing a shite job of it," she replied, hands on her hips in a questioning stance. "Is it HYDRA?"

His expression darkened, "It's complicated. I'm not sure yet, but I'll find out."

The hyper-focus Gladiolus got when he was working on a lead was something that Hermione understood so she just made sure he had water and food, and left him to that side of his business, barely seeing him outside of checking in at the start and end of shift.

She startled when he stormed out of his office at the same time the front door of the bar opened.

Hermione had never seen Gladiolus so furious, in this world or the old one. His normally neutral expression looked all sharp and angular, brows furrowed, a snarl on his lips, teeth bared, and he was looking for a fight. She'd heard rumours that a Gladiolus on a warpath was a sight to see. And honestly, it was so very true but also terrifying. The expression, if looks could kill, fit her friend all too well, and the man at the end of his glare would have been dead a million times over.

The room went silent as everyone looked up from what they were doing, gaze frozen at the entrance. Even Etienne, the normally unflappable cook, who she knew used to be a bare-knuckle fighter in the underground for years, looked hesitant as he aborted his attempt to stop the newcomer from coming in.

Everyone seemed to know the newcomer and while Hermione didn't, she wasn't stupid. The man oozed danger. He was tall and sturdy. His stride was smooth and confident, and there was a power in him that had Hermione up in attention. Even dressed as a civilian in simple jeans, layered baggy tees, and an unzipped hoodie, Hermione had the feeling he'd be able to rip everyone apart with his bare hands. The man's blue eyes locked on her for a second, and for that one short moment, Hermione felt like he'd read all her secrets from her very soul. She reached for her wand in her pocket, but Gladiolus was there in the next instant. He blocked her from view and pushed the man into his office, the door barely had time to slam shut before he was yelling.

Slowly, the patrons seemed to have gathered their wits, all spooked. They came up Hermione quickly paying their tabs and left as silently as they'd arrived. One man, Francois, looked her in the eye, a soft pat on her hand. "If I know Gladi as I do, he'd close the shop for a little while. He won't get angry if you go home now, and if he does, I'll have a word with him. No one wants to be around when the Winter Soldier is here."

Hermione blinked but he was gone before she could answer, a hefty tip left in her hands. Etienne agreed with Francois. "We can't just leave Gladiolus!" She said but the cook shook his head.

"Trust me. Trouble follows that Soldier and we shouldn't get caught in the crossfire," he said as he packed his things and left, "He'll call us when he's done if he decides to re-open for the day."

Hermione bit her lip, watching him leave. Her phone beeped with a message from Gladiolus confirming the lock up and that if she didn't let go of her stubborn loyalty she should at least be out of sight.

She flipped the sign on the window and turned off the lights. Hermione didn't want to leave Gladiolus with a man everyone deemed dangerous but she knew better than to risk his anger when he was already upset. So she locked the front doors and walked to the backroom, she kept the lights off and felt along the walls for the hidden notch for the door of the safe room.

She tapped each of the screens from their sleeping state and settled on the couch. A quick messaged told Gladiolus she'd set up in the safe room and if he needed her, she'd be ready.

He didn't answer.

Hermione waited, wand at the ready. Taking cues from Gladiolus was usually a good indicator on the level of potential danger. He was more angry than worried right then, so no matter how dangerous this Winter Soldier was, safety for himself was no concern of his; although… like most important men in Hermione's life, Gladiolus was very much like Harry in the way that they both had very little regard for their own safety if others were involved.

She sighed, waiting and watching the screens and the camera feed. The camera in his office had been turned off but when she concentrated enough, she placed a discreet intent ward around the bar. It told her there were still two people upstairs, both feeling high levels of frustration.

An hour passed before there was movement on one of the screens. Gladiolus's office door opened. He prodded the winter soldier to the front door, opening it for him and watching with crossed arms, likely waiting until the man was out of sight.

Moments later, Gladiolus was at the entryway of the safe room, deep scowl and grumbling. "Damn Americans. Or Soviets. I don't even know anymore."

Hermione stood immediately at attention rushing to him. But he directed her back to sit on the couch "What was that? Who was that man? Everyone just left, even Etienne said I should go home before he left. They called him a winter soldier?"

Gladiolus dropped down next to her with a huff. "You should have listened to them. I would have rather you been home as far away from that man as possible."

"That doesn't answer my questions," she replied. "What is a winter solider? I'd never seen you so angry. The last time you were angry didn't even come close to how you looked at him and that was…" she trailed off and leaned back, eyes narrowed at him. "Is he HYDRA?"

Gladiolus clenched his jar, his hand rubbing against his trimmed beard. He sighed. "I'm not sure. He's… the Winter Soldier _was_ an asset to HYDRA but he- if the intelligence is accurate, defected."

"What did he want? Why were you so angry if he's not HYDRA?"

"Because! He has one rule. He comes when the bar is closed or he doesn't come at all. He and his kind bring too much trouble," he growled.

Hermione rubbed her face, feeling drained now that adrenaline wasn't keeping her alert. "Okay, so he's not allowed in the bar when it's open. What does he want?"

Gladiolus looked away.

"That is not a good sign," she said pointing an accusing finger at him.

"He wants information on the power sources you've been working on."

Hermione paled, words caught in her throat. "Does he know who I am?"

Gladiolus snarled again. "I deflected him when he showed me your photos. But that damn bastard came here, because he knew I lied about you and now he saw you." He hunched forward, hands brushing through his hair. "I'm sorry."

Hermione shook her head. "You don't have to apologize, Gladiolus. This is not your fault. We knew that something would have caught up to me eventually if it wasn't HYDRA." She wrung her hands together as she thought. "If he's not HYDRA, who is he working for, and are they trustworthy?"

He took her hand into his. "I'm looking into it. But I need you to promise me, if you see him or if he approaches you, you run. Do your teleporting."

She wanted to argue and insist that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. But the look on his face, and his glance at the photo on his desk, she knew this was more than just about her, this was also about the sister he doesn't speak of.

"Okay. I promise."

* * *

**Wednesday, June 15th, 2016**

After all the excitement yesterday, Hermione had to fight against not showing up to work. "I'm not a princess you can just lock up into a tower, Gladiolus!" She yelled at him. "We already agreed I wouldn't go to Calanques until this all blew over. But you can't keep me from work too."

He relented, and everyone pretended that the Winter Soldier's visit hadn't happened. Everything was business as usual.

The night wore on, a little busier than a regular Wednesday night. But mostly it was acquaintances or contacts from the underground coming around to get in on the gossip. It seemed that no one ever comes out alive after seeing the Winter Soldier.

Hermione, frustrated by her ignorance, went through the files Gladiolus had in the safe room for some information. The rest she got from a few of bar patrons who had surprisingly loose lips when it came to ghost stories.

Etienne had already clean up and left for the evening since the kitchen was the first to close. Hermione had about another hour before the bar itself closed, and about thirty minutes after that for clean up, quicker if she used magic. Gladiolus was at the bar scowling at his phone and whoever he was messaging.

"If you have business, you don't have to wait for me. I've closed the bar hundreds of times by now." She leaned against him trying to peek at his screen.

He laughed at her attempt and waved the screen in front of her, "Have you decrypted my code yet?"

She pouted at the taunt and saw that his messages were all in the new code he'd finished putting together last month. "You're stingy on your keys."

"I thought you were smart. You said puzzles were fun and accepted my challenge."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn't deny him. "I'll figure it out eventually. Regardless, you're deflecting. I promise you, I won't burn the bar down if you have to leave early. It's only about two hours on my own and I'm a big girl."

He frowned down at her, there was a moment of hesitation but then nodded. "Okay. But anything happens, you call me right away."

"I promise."

He focused on his phone again typing away. Moments later he was packing up and heading out to whatever meeting he'd just arranged.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. She did her rounds ensuring all the remaining patrons were well attended too and when the last two customers left fifteen minutes before close, Hermione was all too eager to get the cleaning done fast so she could get home.

She'd locked the door, first worked on clearing out the register and putting the funds in the safe. She glanced at the bar's shelves and took note of which bottles were finished.

When she stepped out of the storage room with a box in hand she froze. A man was standing by the bar and she knew the lock on the front door wouldn't have kept this supposed super-assassin out if he wanted in.

"You're not allowed to be here," She said, heart racing as she stared the Winter Soldier down. She approached a table slowly to put the box down. With her hands free, she reached for her wand but didn't draw it out.

The man didn't approach her, he raised his gloved hands in surrender. "I'm not here to hurt anyone," he said softly in English. "I just want to talk."

She circled further back, as her other hand reached for her phone. "Well, maybe I don't want to speak with you," she replied. "Gladiolus will be upset to know you're here right now."

The Winter Soldier's expression didn't change, just stayed carefully void of anything. She wondered if that was because of all the brainwashing he's endured. "Upset is an understatement."

Hermione's lips quirked at that but it was gone seconds later. "You should leave."

"We just want to help you."

Hermione scoffed. "To help me? Or do you want me to help you?" she crossed her arms over her chest daring him to refute her.

He shook his head. "We want to help. We know that you're protecting the… power sources."

She widened her stance and clenched hands. "So you say. But who is 'we' and what do you gain from helping me, access to the source? Intelligence on how it works? No thank you. I don't want your help." She held a hand up and pointed to the front door. "Now please leave, before you force my hand, or worse, Gladiolus gets here."

The man stared at her for a moment, coming to a decision. She tensed when he reached into his back pocket, but it was only a USB key that he put on the counter. "We are the Avengers," he said before he turned, footsteps silent as he left.

When he was gone, Hermione locked and warded the door to let her know if he came back. Heart still racing, palms sweaty, she swallowed the nerves that she'd contained. She called Gladiolus and told him what happened, and he insisted she leave, and he'd handle the rest of closing when he got back.

She paced for a moment, worried that he was still somewhere outside. Taking a deep breath, she headed to the safe room, locking it behind her before disapparating home instead just in case.

The pop startled her cat, and she apologized to Persephone as they sat on her bed cuddled.

Sleep didn't come that night, her thoughts racing about the man and the USB she left in the bar counter.

* * *

**Monday, June 27th, 2016**

Everything had been quiet. Hermione didn't want to live on paranoia, but she was suspicious by the lack of tension and how smoothly the last few weeks had gone. Gladiolus had the USB checked for any tracking or bugs, but found it clean. He read the contents within the key and said it was the full decrypted file HYDRA had on her and her power sources, there was a new document, though not by HYDRA, that detailed the occurrence in Calanques.

"Why would he give this to me?" she had asked when it was handed back to her after the Gladiolus's inspection.

Gladiolus glowered, but he shrugged. "I don't know why the Winter Soldier does anything. He could do whatever he wanted now that he's a free agent… well perhaps not so free if he confirmed he's associating with the Avengers."

She sighed rolling over in her bed and staring at the USB on her bedside table. She hadn't opened it herself. Even though the check came back clean, she was too worried about opening it from home. She'd even kept it warded to block any signals it might give off. She trusted the information that Gladiolus gave her. Instead of looking through the documents, she'd spent her time looking into the Avengers.

A team whose purpose seemed to be protecting the world and not dominating it. She'd read article after article, everything that the internet had to offer. When she'd used up all those resources, she'd turned to the underground. There was a lot of mixed opinions about them, but the one thing the great majority seemed to agree on was that if something threatened earth and it's people, they were happy these supers were willing to put their lives on the line for them.

"Oof," the breath escaped her when Persephone jumped onto her stomach. "Good morning 'Seph. Hungry?" she asked and got a series of meows.

Hermione sat up to stretched and agreed to make breakfast. She paused after kissing her cat on her forehead. Nose wrinkled at the scent of smoke on her cat. "Did you sneak out of the flat again to make friends with the neighbour?" She asked her cat knowing she'd never get an actual response. "I've warned you to be careful about that. Remember the last time you got locked out?"

She stood heading into the kitchen and checked on the wards she'd doubled on her floor. She frowned noticing a few pings show up on the warding notification history again. None of them had woken her because the intent wasn't lethal, but it showed her that the new neighbour that'd moved in last week had yet again, brought several firearms into their flat. She hadn't seen them yet, their schedules seemingly the complete opposite of each other. But the amount of weapons they seemed to carry made her suspicious. She reviewed the notification on the outer boundary she set up and saw that several armed people had been in the vicinity throughout the evening but didn't get closer than the lobby doors.

Something in her gut was telling her to be on guard.

Everything continued to be quiet at work but the worrying feeling still persisted. "Why are you frowning?" Gladiolus asked taking the glass that she'd been drying for five minutes from her hand and putting it away.

"Things feel… too quiet?" She said.

Gladiolus nodded and returned her frown. "I understand," he said, "People are gearing up and staying out of the underground if they can help it."

She turned to him in confusion. "Why?" she asked. She didn't keep up with all the gossip in the underground, not wanting to get involved in anything that wasn't her business.

"After the Winter Soldier showed up in town, it has people worried. It's never a good sign for one to show up, and that it was _The_ Soldier… HYDRA will follow. It's the calm before the storm."

She abandoned the glasses she was supposed to be drying completely. "But I thought you said he defected from HYDRA."

"Yes, he did. But that doesn't mean they don't follow him. An Asset is an asset. If they can't keep him, they'll work to kill him."

That was a horrifying thought. The more and more she learned about HYDRA and their actions the more her nightmares seemed to come back and plague her.

She tapped her fingers on the counter in thought and paused, brows furrowing. "Did… did your contacts confirm that the Winter Soldier left France?"

Gladiolus shook his head. "He's gone to ground. I spoke with him about the USB last week, but that was the last contact anyone has had with him. That, or someone is lying."

Hermione swore. Gladiolus looked at her in amusement. It was rare that Hermione swore in front of him. "Gods. I feel so stupid."

"What?"

"I… a new neighbour moved in last week. I hadn't seen them at all, but I work late so I thought nothing of it. The shields that I set up every night around my flat have been telling me that they'd brought weapons into their flat… that people have been approaching the building are also armed."

Gladiolus's expression was thunderous. "Are you telling me you think your new neighbour is either a HYDRA plant or worse, the damn Winter Soldier himself?"

"I don't know."

"You're not going back there."

"Gladiolus!" she tried to argue, but he was shaking his head.

"It's not safe—"

She slammed her hands on the bar to stop his tirade. "I can't just not go home, I have Persephone, I have all my notes!"

"Then you pack up your essentials and come back here. I'll relocate you until everything dies down."

"We don't even know for sure if I'm right, there a chance it's just my paranoia talking. I don't want to spend my life running."

He rose a brow. "Is that a risk you're willing to take?" He nodded at her telling silence. "I thought so."

Hermione shuddered thinking about what could happen if it was HYDRA. She wouldn't be able to stay if they were there for her. Not if they'd keep trying to get to her.

"Give me a week," she compromised with a sigh. "I'll start packing tonight. Could you pick up Persephone? She doesn't like it when I, uh, teleport."

"I'll pick up your cat if you pack in three days," he countered, "and if you thought I wasn't driving you home tonight, you're sorely mistaken."

* * *

**Wednesday, June 29th, 2016**

Hermione jolted awake from a deep sleep. She'd fallen asleep on her couch too tired after work and staying up late two nights in a row to pack. The time glowing on her stove told her it was just after 3 AM.

She stretched, brows furrowed, wondering why she was awake when she felt a pull in her magic. She shot up from the couch in a hurry looking at her wards. People with weapons and lethal intent just breached her furthest outer ward surrounding the building. In minutes she was strapping her harness bag in place and checking over the flat one last time. She lamented on having to leave her growing collection of plants behind, not having had the time to pack them safely.

A glance out the window showed her a group of people, dressed in the same black tactical gear she recognized on that first HYDRA agent she'd come in contact with, were slowly approaching. She braided her hair back as she reviewed the notifications on the wards for her floor. She knew her neighbour was now home, had been for only an hour. It showed that two people, armed, had come up to her floor that afternoon, but bypassed her flat going straight for her neighbour before leaving a moment later. That last notification had been a common occurrence over the two days.

She bit her lip. They didn't know or didn't care that she was here, clearly prioritizing her neighbour. Hermione opened the door to her flat softly and walked over to her neighbour's door. She pushed aside the hesitation, stupid foolish Gryffindor bravery taking the reigns.

She knocked twice.

Her previously anxious expression melted into a glare when the Winter Soldier answered. "I sometimes hate when I'm right," she grumbled and then gasped when he grabbed her, closing and locking the door behind her before pressing her against the wall. A hand was at the base of her throat, not squeezing, just a slight pressure and warning.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, his voice rough.

She tried not to show her fear, but she knew he felt her tremor because his grip loosened even more. "I should be asking you that," she retorted, "Did you move here to spy on me?"

He let go of her completely, stepping back to give her some space. She held a hand to her throat to ease the fear.

"I'm here to protect you," he said.

She gave a dry laugh. "I was doing fine until you showed up because HYDRA is outside right now, and they're not here for me."

He swiftly glanced out the window. The Winter Soldier cursed, grabbing her again and pulled her down and behind a couch. Then he was grabbing his coffee table and lifting it over their hunched forms like a shield.

The glass balcony doors shattered and rained over them seconds later.


	3. Lost and Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV switch! Hope you don't mind~

**Wednesday, June 1st, 2016**

It wasn't a good night. James slept fitfully for two hours before giving up to stare at his ceiling. He'd only been with the Avengers for roughly ten months, but knowing he was safe and away from HYDRA was only a little step forward to recovery.

Nights were more often than not filled with nightmares. The ones that weren't filled with murder and mayhem were hazy scenes of a life he once lived but could barely piece together; a life as Bucky the charming man from Brooklyn.

James wasn't that man anymore but that didn't mean he couldn't try to find that side of him again. The Bucky that Steve remembered and cared for. The Bucky who wasn't broken again and again and again by HYDRA only to be put back together and pointed toward his next mission.

He could see the sky was getting lighter from his window and decided he may as well have an early start to his day. He headed to the common room of the Avengers compound, everything still quiet with the majority of the team asleep. Even if it was five in the morning, he was not at all surprised to find Stark lounging on one of the couches flicking through a hologram he had projected from the tablet on his lap.

He hesitated by the doorway. While Stark forgave him for his actions as the Winter Soldier who murdered his parents in cold blood, the guilt he carried was never going to be something he'd ever shake off easily. He'd never understand how Stark was so forgiving, how he'd look his parents' murderer in the eye and invite him into his home and let him live there. Insist on calling him "Tony". The trust or faith or whatever it was that motivated Stark could be a little overwhelming, so it was rare to be alone with him, James preferring to have one of the others around as a buffer.

"I can hear you brooding," Stark called but didn't look away from his work.

James didn't respond, merely stepped into the room hesitation be damned. He went straight for the large brown armchair by the window and slumped into the seat. "Did Pepper lock you out of the lab again?" he asked to fill the silence.

Stark rose an affronted brow staring at him over the hologram for a moment to make a point. "Pepper can't lock me out of the lab," he denied.

"Are you sure?" another voice interrupted. The two of them turned to see Natasha dressed for a workout, there was a large brown envelope in hand.

"Of course I'm sure!" Stark put his tablet aside to cross his arms over his chest. "Is there gonna be some sort of super-assassin meeting I should be clearing out for?"

Natasha rolled her eyes as she walked into the room and dropped down onto the empty spot on the couch next to Stark. In the same movement, she threw the envelope at James who caught it with ease.

"What's this?" he asked.

"A mission if you want it," she replied and leaned forward to the coffee table to steal Stark's mug and drink from it.

James paused. This sounded like a solo assignment and he hadn't run any of those since joining the Avengers. He stuck to the team as a security measure.

"I want a mission," Stark said.

"This one requires subtlety, which you lack in spaces, Tony."

James let the two of them bicker lightheartedly as he opened the envelope and pulled out the file. It was a HYDRA file from the data drop nearly two years ago. It detailed a power surge and consequent power outage in a small town in Britain.

HYDRA dispatched an agent to check out the scene to find the source of the surge and find out if they could use it. That agent only came back with more questions. From satellite imaging, HYDRA knew there was some sort of circle made of stones in the field that the adjoining town liked to avoid due to old superstitions. The first recon report came back with mixed information, the data and time log not matching the verbal debriefing.

The time log showed the agent had gone to the field at 11 AM local time and then again at Noon; each time, he indicated that something around the field compelled him to leave the area and by the time he'd reached his vehicle in town he'd remembered why he was heading to the field in the first place.

The agent's last attempt for that day reported he'd successfully entered the field but the verbal report implied that there was only one attempt ever made. The disrupter disk he'd sent out in search of any forcefields recorded a faint shield-like dome, but his memory told him it had malfunctioned and burst, knocking him unconscious from the small blast of energy.

James frowned reading further. The agent went back with a standard squad of three. They worked for weeks mapping out the field and its protective dome, testing the perimeters and distances before the compulsion kicked in; a week in, they'd set up several different types of surveillance cameras to see what they could catch. All suspicions about the power sources leading to mutant or enhanced individuals.

Individual. He corrected when he saw the photos they managed to get. A woman.

"These are from 2014," James said, cutting off Natasha and Stark. They'd moved on from bickering to friendly teasing. "Why are we looking into this now?"

Natasha sat up, back straight and mission ready. "We found these fairly recently from the data dump. It wasn't a priority file for them, so we didn't prioritize it either. When we finally decrypted it, I worked on it when I had time." She motioned for him to flip to the next stapled file; this one a compilation of notes put together by Natasha herself. "There was another power surge. This time in France. Similar readings but on a smaller scale. It came up last summer. It caught my attention because I was already decrypting the HYDRA file. I have a feeling they're connected."

"A feeling?" Stark asked, "Do we work with those now?"

Natasha nudged him sharply with her elbow. "I found another photo. I erased the trace of it as much as I could, but it's the internet so if someone got to it before me, or was determined enough to find something, it's around." She shrugged.

James flipped to the last page and this photo was definitely more grainer than the first set. "You think it's the same person," he concluded.

"I don't believe in coincidences."

Stark reached for the file to review. "I have so many questions about these power sources," he murmured focusing on the readings, "the potential it can have…" There was a worried furrow in his brow.

Natasha nodded. "We need to find and secure it before HYDRA or any other ill-intentioned being finds and uses it." She stood and stretched, "And we need to find out who this person is and what their intentions are. It's strange that outside of the two initial surges, nothing else has come up. It could be nothing, or they're biding their time for something which doesn't sit well with me."

James agreed. "Why are you giving this to me?" he asked, "You've been working on this for a while now…"

"I think you'd be well suited to it. Also, you looked bored—"

"And restless," Stark chimed in, giving the file back to James and reaching for his tablet again.

"—and we all know how much you like fucking HYDRA up anyway. I hear they got a new base set up in France. It's somewhat near the second power source; another thing I don't believe to be a coincidence. You can take a nice detour. Besides, I have something else I need to work on." Natasha walked up to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder with a smile and leaned down to whisper, "And I'm sure a break from the team will be nice. It must feel a little crowded."

"Okay," he said, agreeing to the assignment after a moment of thought.

Natasha's smile shifted into a smirk. "Great. Now let's go spar, Soldat."

* * *

**Saturday, June 11th, 2016**

James took one day to memorize the file Natasha had given him, and by the third of June, he was on one of Stark's jets, Natasha and Steve dropping him off before they head on to their own mission.

"Keep in touch, Buck," Steve told him softly. There was an earnest look in his eyes, and James had to swallow the guilt he felt for not remembering how to be the Bucky Steve remembered.

"I'll try. Stay safe."

From there he spent the week following every lead he had. He started with inspecting the strange forcefield at the first surge point. It was strange, the forest surrounding the clearing of the field felt different than any other forest he'd been in. something about it felt alive- which wasn't the rights word because of course, it was alive. The forest was thriving but something about the air around him felt heavy like there was a presence there scanning him. As though the whole area surrounding the field was sentient if that was even possible.

True to the notes from the HYDRA file, he'd barely approached the stones before something compelled him to leave. He didn't leave. He'd spent a lot of time after leaving HYDRA to strengthen his mind against that kind of manipulation again.

The forcefield seemed to sense he didn't have any malicious intent and there was no lethal action taken against his approach. He'd reached out to interact with the dome and watched it shimmer against his metal hand.

When his investigation at the field finished, he headed to the town so see if anyone remembered her. It was another dead end. True to Natasha's notes, the woman was a ghost. The closest they'd found to a possible facial match in London was a dentist. That lead went nowhere, the woman doing a root canal during the surge. From Natasha's surveillance on the family, they'd found no signs of contact with either mutant or enhanced individuals. Just a very normal, quiet, and actually quite boring family.

When he reached the end of his leads in Britain, he moved towards the surge that had happened in France.

James found himself intrigued by the file. Natasha had started gathering information the day after the surge occurred and pulled the only photo that surfaced offline as quickly as she could. Gossip ran along the intelligence channels for about a week and then that too died. He felt suspicious on how quickly it'd gone quiet and Natasha confirmed she'd only handled the photo.

There was someone else running interference on this. He wondered if it was the woman herself but that didn't make much sense. Why wouldn't she have done the same about the first surge?

He followed the trail of information from start to finish. It took two days to follow who first brought it up to the underground and who responded. Soon after that, it was easy to see where the dead-end came from. He grimaced at the answer he found, but in the end, he wasn't surprised by it.

When James first left HYDRA and after figuring out what he could of his past, he went to ground in Europe for nine months. He freelanced, brought down known HYDRA bases left and right, and made as many trustworthy contacts as he could. One contact referred to him was a man named Gladiolus LeBlanc.

Needless to say, their first meeting had not gone well at all. Leblanc's stand on HYDRA was very clear.

"I don't trust you. I don't think I will ever trust you," LeBlanc told him venomously. A metal bat would have bashed into James's face if it hadn't been for his fast reflexes and sturdy metal arm. "I don't help your kind."

Their second meeting had gone marginally better but only because James had spent a day digging up whatever information he could on Leblanc and then a week tracking and dragging the HYDRA man who murdered Gladiolus's sister into his bar. He then asked for one favour and a promise that when it was done, James wouldn't bother him again.

He didn't blink as he watched Leblanc get his revenge. He remained stoic when the anger on the Frenchman's face faded into a frighteningly neutral mask when it turned to him.

"One favour," LeBlanc grudgingly said, "But this doesn't mean I trust you. HYDRA would never let go of an asset like you."

James didn't say anything. It was pointless to argue with a man already so angry; and in a way, he was right. HYDRA wouldn't have let him go and James was going to run until he couldn't anymore.

"I need to disappear."

LeBlanc scoffed. "You don't need my help for that."

James shook his head. "You misunderstand. I want as many of my files and the Winter Soldier project to be taken offline from the intelligence circuit. Whatever can't be taken down, I want it near impossible to decrypt. I'll pay whatever additional fees you need."

"Keep your blood money. I offered you one favour and you have it. Now get out and disappear."

Now, James sat in a basement bar in the underground, the same one where he first met Gladiolus LeBlanc. It wasn't Pur, the Frenchman preferring to meet with clients he deemed dangerous outside his own place where there were witnesses he wouldn't be responsible for.

The basement was crowded as it usually was but behind a beaded curtain was a sectioned off part of the bar where things were a little quieter and the floors less sticky from old spilt alcohol.

When LeBlanc arrived, he had a dark scowl on his face, but luckily no metal bat in hand.

"There should be no favours between us," he said in lieu of a greeting. He sat down across from him, hands crossed over his chest.

James nodded. "I need information and after I get it, I'll owe you another one." He didn't move under the other man's piercing stare.

"Still saying you're not HYDRA scum?" he asked instead.

James clenched his fists. "You know that I'm not."

The Frenchman glared at him defiantly. "I know you've been off the grid for too long that it's suspicious. I don't know who you've aligned yourself with or if you're a free agent, and I haven't decided which I think is worse."

They sat in silence letting the ambience of the bar around them fill it. "I'm not HYDRA," he said quietly.

LeBlanc hummed suspiciously under his breath but relented. "We'll see. What information are you looking for?"

James passed over the tablet with the information of the power surge in Calanques. He'd transferred and locked the files on a Stark tablet not wanting to walk around with loose paperwork. LeBlanc has no reaction to the file and James watches the man flick through it. "I've told many others that this is a dead-end," he said passing the tablet back. "I can't help you with this."

"Can't or won't?" James asked, frowning. "I know you can make things disappear. You were the last one in the circuit looking through this. Everyone gave what they knew to you in hopes of finding out more and then it disappears."

LeBlanc shook his head. "It didn't disappear. I told them as I'm telling you. This power source? It's a dead-end."

"And what if I showed you this?" James opened a different file and slid the tablet back.

There's a frown on LeBlanc's face and a minute tightening of his lips as he flicks through the HYDRA file. "What is this?" he asked, his tone sounding too flat. James narrowed his eyes catching the hesitance.

"It's another power surge from Britain. Stronger than the one in Calanques. From what we could find, it was likely the first power surge. The woman in the photos is a person of interest," he replied honestly, gauging the reaction he gets. LeBlanc is good, but James is better. He can tell from his movements, stiffer, just a touch more tense than earlier, that the Frenchman knows something. He wondered again if the woman reached out to LeBlanc to disappear.

"And you come to France looking for answers?" Warning bells were ringing and James was all too aware of the deflection on the woman.

"The surge at Calanque is more recent. And everyone knows you're the best contact for information on the continent." James leaned forward looking at the photo that LeBlanc was focusing on. It was a close up of the woman; she was talking to a clerk at the market, a small smile on her face. He saw when LeBlanc's grip tightened ever so slightly on the edge of the tablet, barely noticeable if he hadn't been looking for signs. "The potential these power surges could prove dangerous. We can't let HYDRA or anyone else get their hands on this or the woman."

"Who is 'we'?" LeBlanc asked as he slid the tablet back across the table, crossing his arms in front of him and tapping the fingers of one hand on the tabletop in agitation. "If you're not HYDRA, then who are you working for? And what do you gain from this?"

"I'm with the Avengers—"

LeBlanc let out a dry laugh in disbelief interrupting him. "Reunited with your best buddy Captain America then? I don't believe for a second that Stark would just let you on the team though," he said furious, "Remember, I am the one who erased you. Should I really believe that Stark will play nice with his family's murderer?"

James didn't react because he'd been expecting the jab. LeBlanc would be well aware of his past given his hand in erasing and encrypting as much of it as he could. It wasn't like he hadn't thought the same anyway. He let LeBlanc continue, "And suppose you are telling the truth. What do the Avengers gain from this?" He asked, waving a hand at the tablet. "You don't need more power. You all have more than enough of it."

"We want to protect it and ensure no one with the intention to harm gets it. That's why we need to talk with her." LeBlanc didn't look convinced. "Name your price and add one favour from me."

LeBlanc stood. "I will contact you after I've verified that you're not HYDRA. I want that favour regardless of whether I take the job or not."

James scowled. "One favour, only if you take the job."

LeBlanc shook his head leaning forward over the table to get right in his face. "Don't misunderstand me, boy. One favour with or without information. I came today when I didn't have to, when we previously made an agreement for you to disappear and never bother me again."

James stood from his seat and they stared each other in the eye. "Fine. But I want an answer in three days then."

He held out his gloved metal hand and LeBlanc shook it before storming out of the basement. He watched him go, brow furrowing in thought. He had to be lying about the woman. He just had to prove it before LeBlanc could turn down the assignment in three days.

* * *

**Tuesday, June 14th 2016**

He was running out of time but James worked well under pressure and he had plenty of patience. That patience paid off when he was canvassing LeBlanc's bar and the surrounding area. There was a bakery just across the street and a woman who looked very much like the ones from the photos exited the shop with a box of pastries and headed into the bar.

James moved position, setting up a little further away, hidden in the shadows with a scope. There was only one window in LeBlanc's bar that wasn't tinted to prevent onlookers from seeing any sensitive business. It was the window on the front door that had a decent view of the bar counter with the right angle.

He switched his scope out for one with a better zoom, searched for a good spot to catch the woman in sight and waited. Night fell and she still hadn't left but he finally caught her on the scope standing behind the bar reading.

This was why LeBlanc lied to his face. Hiding her in plain sight could be smart under different circumstances. But stupid if HYDRA ever decided to break the unspoken rule of stepping on to his territory. He stood from the hidden nook he'd settled in hours earlier, a decision made. There's a twinge of guilt for using the woman as leverage over LeBlanc for information, but he pushes the emotion aside, a mission is a mission.

He walked to the bar, a man smoking by the door noticed him right away and was on his phone in a second. James didn't let that bother him, not even when the man moved to block his path. James raised his covered metal arm in defence forcing his way through the front door and the man was backing off immediately.

In seconds he scanned the bar, taking in how many witnesses there were before he focused on the woman who stared at LeBlanc in startled surprise. James barely acknowledged the furious man, heading straight for the woman instead.

She turned to him, and James catalogued everything he could. She looked at him in suspicion, narrowed eyes and hesitant but no recognition. Her hand reached down and he wondered what weapon she'd pull against him, what her plan of attack was, anything to help him categorize her threat level.

He didn't reach her though. LeBlanc cut him off barely four steps away from the bar. James scowled but let himself be pushed into the office.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He roared as he slammed the door shut. "You'd have had your answer later tonight but you- you impatient sac à merde! You decide to show your face in my bar when we have clear agreements."

"You know exactly why I'm here," James said pointing out of the office where the woman was.

LeBlanc grabbed the metal bat he had in the umbrella stand by the door. He pointed it at him in warning. "She's not a pawn to be used in people's power games." He pressed the blunt end of the bat against his chest, jabbing it into him on every other word for emphasis.

"I just need to talk with her." James smacked the bat away but LeBlanc just brought it back resting it against his collarbone.

"Non."

James gripped the bat at the next jab, bending it with his metal fingers. "You can't hide her forever, LeBlanc."

"I can damn well try," He said, tossing aside the ruined bat.

"Well she's painting a target on her back with those power sources," he said, "If you want to protect her, then let us help you."

"All she wants is peace, safety, and to one day go home. Isn't that something you'd understand?" LeBlanc bit out, the anger slowly draining from him. The frustration was still there though, simmering as he stepped away.

James didn't say anything letting the words settle. It gave him some insight into the woman, but still no real idea on her motivations for the power sources.

"Give me one good reason to trust you," LeBlanc said. His voice no longer raised but still tense. "And then maybe… maybe I'll accept your help."

James crossed his arms over his chest. "How do I prove to you that we are trustworthy?" he asked.

The Frenchman shook his head. "That is something you'll have to prove without prompting. Now get out of here. You don't come back in here. Until you can prove yourself, she stays out of it."

LeBlanc herded him out of the bar, crowding him until he stepped out the front door. "If HYDRA catches wind of her," James warned, "your rules will go straight to hell and she'll be in danger."

LeBlanc's face went murderous. "Then you better hope HYDRA doesn't hear a thing about this."

* * *

**Wednesday, June 15th, 2016**

He paced in one of the safehouses Natasha had. The one closest to LeBlanc's bar. Now that he knew where the woman was and who she associated with, it made things a little easier to dig. Despite that, anything he found didn't answer very many questions.

**JBB:** I found the woman. But she's a ghost.

He sent the message into a secure group chat that Steve added him to with the rest of the Avengers. He wasn't expecting an answer as they were likely asleep or still on their own missions. But an update wouldn't hurt.

It was four in the morning in New York but he wasn't surprised that an answer came from Stark. He wasn't sure if the man still hadn't gone to sleep like him, or if he just woke up to start another engineering binge.

**IRONMAN:** she can't be a ghost if she's alive. Just look at you, everyone thought you were a ghost story.  
 **  
JBB:** everything I found about her passes a surface scan, but the more you dig… I don't even know if Hermione Granger is her real name. Given that she's working with LeBlanc and that he's fond of her... He could easily fabricate a new life for her after erasing her old one.

**IRONMAN:** well it's a good thing we don't really need to know her old life right now. We just need to know about this one and what she intends to do with those power sources.

**IRONMAN:** also. Have we thought of a name for these power sources yet?

**IRONMAN:** it's just such a mouthful

**JBB:** that's what you want to discuss right now?

**IRONMAN:** everyone likes nicknames

**JBB:** I'll leave that to you then

**IRONMAN:** I know a dismissal when I see one. Send me what you got of her and I'll do some of my own digging.

James threw his phone back onto his bed and glanced at the time. It was ten in the morning and he hadn't slept all night. He debated the merits of a power nap over coming up with a plan of action and knew he'd have a clearer head when he felt a little more human.

He was right. When he woke after a few hours of sleep and a shower feeling more like a human being, there was a message waiting for him from Stark. It wasn't very reassuring, more of a confirmation that the woman's file was faked. He sighed, running his flesh hand over his face.

He tapped on his tablet to review the notes he'd taken on what he found and pieced together about the woman named Hermione. His instinct very rarely stirred him wrong, and from what he gathered, he highly doubted the woman was after world domination or anything that involved intentionally harming others.

If she had, her forcefields would have or should have had lethal consequences but it didn't. Instead, it actively worked to keep people from accessing the sources easily, and in the case of Calanques, keeping it hidden entirely. When HYDRA ambushed her years ago, she never took lethal action, instead, she incapacitated if she could and ran when she couldn't.

Another glaringly obvious detail would be LeBlanc. If he sniffed out any idea that even looked remotely like anything from a HYDRA playbook, he would have had her information passed along to the nearest freelancing agent to take her out, not employ her in his bar.

And then there was something LeBlanc said. "All she wanted was peace, safety, and to go home," he murmured aloud to himself.

How would the power sources tie into that? He wondered. If he could just speak with her, prove to her that she could trust them…

He looked to his phone an idea striking.

* * *

James waited until nightfall. A message to a contact in France ran interference on LeBlanc and he watched from the shadows until the last customer left Pur before approaching the bar. The locks were high quality but still not enough to keep him out.

The bar lights were dimmed and the room was mostly quiet. He could hear the woman in the back room rummaging through things. He surveyed the bar and nothing looked out of place. There were slight changes from the last time he'd been here with that HYDRA man. He walked towards the bar counter to check for weapons when the sound of approaching footsteps had him turning toward the back room.

The woman gasped when she noticed him. She eyed him warily, never turning her back to him as she slowly sidestepped to one of the tables, placing the box she had in her hands down. "You're not allowed to be here," she said in french.

He watched her reach down and he wondered what she armed herself with recognizing the action. Whatever it was, she didn't pull it on him. He could see the tension in her shoulders, the way she'd quickly glanced around the room to ensure he was the only one here. He rose his hands showing her he wasn't armed. Which, in all honesty, didn't mean much coming from him, but hoped it'd still ease her worries. "I'm not here to hurt anyone," he said knowing she spoke English. "I just want to talk."

She stepped back from the table putting more distance between herself and him. When she reached into her pocket this time, she pulled out a phone but didn't dial anything. This showed promise. She was curious, he could see it in her eyes, passed the fear and worry, she had questions.

"Well, maybe I don't want to speak with you. Gladiolus will be upset to know you're here right now." Her thumb rested over a call button.

Likely LeBlanc on speed-dial. Upset would be an understatement if he knew anything about the man. She looked amused at his off-hand comment, but she still resolved and told him to leave.

He took a cautious step forward but stopped when her hand resting on her side reached for something again. "We just want to help you."

She scoffed. "To help me?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest. The tone and movement mirrored LeBlanc and he wondered how long they'd known each other for. "Or do you want me to help you?" She lifted her gaze, defiant and daring.

"We want to help. We know that you're protecting the… power sources." He said, wondering what her reaction would be. She must have known already that he was here for that reason. The question was, would she fight to silence him or fight to protect the source.

He took note of the way she widened her stand in preparation. There was a tightening look in her eyes, her hands uncrossing and clenching at her sides. He tensed waiting for an attack that didn't come. "So you say. But who is 'we' and what do you gain from helping me? Access to the source? Intelligence on how it works? No thank you. I don't want your help."

She held a hand up and pointed to the front door. "Now please leave before you force my hand, or worse, Gladiolus gets here."

He watched her for a moment longer. She may not have realized that her actions spoke more than what she said. His earlier assumptions resonating. She didn't want a fight, would avoid it if at all possible. She was there to protect the source.

He reached into his back pocket for a USB he prepared. He gently placed it on the counter and looked her in the eye. "We are the Avengers," he said to her first question.

James, in a show of trust, turned his back to her to see if she'd attack but she didn't. And so he left with some questions answered. Now, it was just a waiting game. Protect from the sidelines and see if she'd approached them.

She was curious and hopefully, it'll prove to be enough for her to seek some answers.

* * *

**Thursday, June 23rd, 2016**

It didn't take much to find out where the woman lived and get himself set up in the empty apartment next to hers. He'd quickly worked out her routine, when she left, when she came back, any stops she took on the way to and back from work if she wasn't getting a lift from LeBlanc.

Everything he'd seen of their relationship looked platonic. She obviously trusted the man, and LeBlanc held a soft spot for her. He wondered if Hermione reminded the man of his sister.

From there he went to the underground, listening to gossip. One evening, as much as he hated it, he used a photostatic veil to cover his face and ask around about any news about LeBlanc's bar. There was gossip about his appearance and how LeBlanc was stepping up the security tech on his land. When he inquired about the workers there and if they were looking to hire, everyone shook their head.

After LeBlanc's sister was murdered years ago, he hired no one he hadn't personally chosen, and the staff was always kept small. Only the bare-knuckle fighter Etienne and a woman named Hermione who handled the front.

The general consensus was that Hermione was too sweet to be working at Pur, what with it being so close to the underground. But everyone had a history of some sort before showing up in their world and no one questioned too deeply on her sudden appearance. It was clear to LeBlanc's acquaintances that whatever past she had, Hermione had chosen LeBlanc for protection. No one in the underground wanted to dig into any business the man got into, lest they risk his anger. Especially since gossip still ran around the intelligence circuit about the revenge LeBlanc dealt to his sister's murderer.

When he was done in the underground, he tried to get into her apartment but the first time he stepped foot on their floor, he knew she had some sort of forcefield over the whole area. The air felt heavier, a similar feeling to the field in Britain. He wouldn't be surprised if she had another shielding dome over her own home.

Instead, James kept his distance, only leaving the apartment after she's left, and returning after she's settled in for the night and he finished a quick patrol of the neighbourhood. He spotted a few HYDRA agents in the city and he was working on figuring out what they were here for.

Protection detail was boring, in all honesty, but until she approached them, everything was a waiting game. He reached for the pack of cigarettes he bought to ease the stress. He tapped a cigarette out of the small corner opening and lit it with his lighter.

"She doesn't seem to have a bad bone in her," he told Natasha when she video called, finally home in New York from her own mission. "You read my observations?"

" _It makes sense. Actions speak of self-preservation and protection of the power sources. But what is the purpose of activating them then?_ " she asked.

"What if she's not the one activating it?"

" _But she's conveniently on or near the scene?_ " She rose a brow, sceptical, " _I don't think it's a coincidence. What's your game plan?_ "

He scratched at his growing stubble with his flesh hand letting his cigarette burn away in his metal one. "Protection for now. HYDRA activity is increasing and I'm looking into why. It's likely because they're setting up base in the country. But I want to know if it's because of Calanques. If it is, then she's in danger. If not, I want to cut it down before it gets worse."

Natasha hummed in agreement. " _Okay, keep me posted._ "

Before he could say anything more he noticed she was looking over his shoulder. " _You get a cat?_ " she asked amused.

He rolled his eyes and looked at his open window where a black cat snuck through. He put out his half-finished cigarette in the ashtray.

"This cat has been sneaking in since I moved here, I stopped trying to kick her out after two days. She belongs to Hermione according to the collar."

Natasha cooed. " _Cute. Think she trained her cat to spy?_ "

James huffed. "I think you're just paranoid."

She shrugged. " _There have been stranger things. But seriously, keep me posted. And get some sleep! If Steve sees those shadows under your eyes, he'll steal Tony's jet and make his way down there to help or something._ "

They disconnected the call and he sighed. He looked down at the cat that meowed at his feet. He pushed his chair away from the desk he'd set up at and she jumped into his lap. His flesh hand ran a hand through her soft fur.

"Does your lady know you're sneaking out?" he asked scratching under the chin. "Or is Natasha right and you're spying on me?"

The cat meowed back. He groaned, he must really be sleep deprived if he was conversing with his neighbour's cat.

But he couldn't sleep. Not yet. HYDRA was getting closer and closer to this neighbourhood and he needed to know if it was for him, or if it was for her.

* * *

**Wednesday, June 29th, 2016**

The woman still hadn't approached him and the nerves were starting to run high. HYDRA had been canvassing the neighbourhood and surveillance showed they'd approached the building.

HYDRA was going to act soon. He started packing and preparing his things the moment he got in. He needed to think about how to get the woman out of her apartment with as little trouble as possible. He knew she was preparing to move, he'd watched LeBlanc take her cat and a few of her things a few nights ago, but she remained. Likely to finish up whatever was left in her apartment.

He was zipping his backpack closed when there was a knock on his door. He paused, eyes narrowing. HYDRA didn't knock, but he wouldn't put it passed them to use it as a distraction. He put his backpack on, clipping it in place before looking through the peep-hole.

Hermione stood nervously on the other side. He answered the door quickly barely hearing her murmured "I sometimes hate when I'm right," when he grabbed her and pulled her into his apartment. He locked the door and slammed her against the wall. She gasped and he hoped he wasn't too rough.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, feeling guilty about taking his frustrations of HYDRA out on her. He shouldn't stress too much because her showing up worked very well in his favour.

She shook slightly under his hand but she still glared up at him despite the clear fear in her eyes. "I should be asking you that," she retorted, "Did you move here to spy on me?"

He refrained from rolling his eyes as he stepped back. He watched her calm her nerves and frowned at the light red marks he left on her throat. Shit, he was too rough again.

"I'm here to protect you," he said. He was about to reach into his bag for the balm he had when she laughed drily.

"I was doing fine until you showed up because HYDRA is outside right now and they're not here for me."

He swiftly glanced out the window and saw the approaching agents. He saw one prepare to launch something and he swore. He turned grabbing her again and pushing her behind a couch. He reached over for the coffee table, holding it over him to shield them.

Seconds later, glass rained over them when a device exploded on his balcony, she yelped in surprise.

Ears ringing, he still didn't slow down. James tossed the table over to the ruined balcony doors, it wouldn't stop them, but any second it could slow them was an advantage he'd take. He hauled her up with him. "We have to go." and he was thankful that she didn't protest or question him.

He quickly grabbed the two guns he had hidden by his desk strapping them to his legs and then moved to the coat closet to grab a third in the same movement that he kicked his front door open and into a HYDRA agent. There were three agents one downed by the door and the other two taking position to fire.

He pulled her behind him, using his metal arm to deflect the bullets. He advanced on one agent bending the gun before they could fire again and then ripping it from their hands to hit them with it. He spun on his back foot focusing on the last that Hermione knocked away from them with a hand stretched in front of her, a pulse of energy coming from it.

"That's useful," he said not questioning it. "Know how to use a gun?" he asked offering one to her. She paled and shook her head.

He shrugged but he couldn't say any more because agents were coming through his broke balcony.

"Do you trust me?" he asked strapping the gun back on to his leg.

She hesitated but took his offered flesh hand. "More than HYDRA. So you'll have to do," she replied.

And then they were rushing down the stairs. He took down everyone in his path with well-aimed punches seeing how uncomfortable she felt by the guns.

Why did people enjoy fighting in stairs, he lamented. Mobility was always more limited by the lack of space. He knocked one agent into another with one kick while he grabbed one by the throat and slammed him into the wall.

Hermione was holding her own and he let her watch his back with whatever her enhancements were. He could hear HYDRA's surprised yelps when she attacked them with bursts of energy.

Luckily they were only two floors up, but not as fortunately once they got to the street they were swarmed by agents firing at them. He used his arm to block as many of the bullets as possible but it wouldn't be enough in the long term. He wondered if he should ask Stark for a shield, but decided against that. Shields were Steve's thing.

Hermione rushed up from behind him before he could pull her back. She had a stick in hand this time and a bright blast of energy or power or _whatever_ burst from the end of it and sent HYDRA flying back. He took advantage of that, pulling her along as they ran.

"Where are you going?" she asked him. Sweat was beading on her forehead and she looked a little winded. He wondered how much energy it took her to use her powers. It was clear now that she was enhanced in some way. Not that they really doubted it before, they just couldn't cross out any technology, especially if she was crafting something with the power sources.

"I have another safehouse, outside of the city, we just have to get a car," he answered absently as he glanced around the corner behind them. HYDRA regrouped and they were approaching quickly guns out. "Does your forcefield shield thing over your apartment block bullets?" he asked.

She blinked in surprise but bit her lip in thought. "I've never thought about it. I've never had to dodge bullets before. Maybe?"

"Shall we test it?" he asked.

"Absolutely not." She looked affronted at the suggestion of testing it out in live combat, and well, he couldn't blame her.

He shrugged. As uneasy as she was around the guns, they wouldn't be getting out of here without him using one. He pulled his rifle out from his pack. He glanced at her. "Still trust me?"

She hesitated again. "Do you trust me?" she asked instead.

"I trust you not to kill me," he replied honestly with a weary grin.

She returned the sentiment with her own grin as she suddenly pressed forward and closer to him. "I won't kill you, but Gladiolus might. Just don't let go." Her arms wrapped around him holding him tightly before he could react.

There was a popping noise and everything went black. He tightened his hold on her when there was pressure all around him squeezing from every direction and taking the breath away from him. It was a worse feeling than motion sickness the cyclone on Coney Island caused. It was a short moment before there was another popping noise and he felt less like he was twisting into another shape and back in his own body.

They stumbled to the ground with a thud. James worked through the nausea and moved to cover her in case HYDRA had done something. He noticed they were no longer on the street near their apartment building but a grassy yard.

He swore when he finally oriented himself and saw LeBlanc had come storming out of the house in front of them armed with his own rifle.

James groaned as he sat up. Of course, this explained her disappearing act and what she meant by "Gladiolus might". LeBlanc was over them in seconds, gun aimed at his face as he gently pulled Hermione up.

"Gladiolus, don't," she said, her hand on his arm lowering the gun.

The man glared at her equally as angry speaking in rapid french. While James didn't speak it fluently, he understood it well. "I told you to run if you saw him, not take him with you!" he yelled.

"HYDRA was after him, they didn't even know I was there—"

"Well, they do now!"

"— and I couldn't just leave him to them."

LeBlanc scoffed. "You clearly underestimate his ability to stay alive." He looked at James nudging him with his foot switching to English. "And you! This is why I tell you to come when the bar is closed or better yet, not to come at all."

James stood carefully, strapping his rifle behind his back and holding his hands up. "It would have only been a matter of time before they came for her."

"Except they were here for you," he said.

Hermione stepped between them. "This is not the time to argue," she said in English. "He just needs a car to get to his safe house, Gladiolus, and he'll be out of our hair."

"Hermione, you know this means you have to run," LeBlanc said, worry in his eyes.

She shook her head. "I'll lay low for a few weeks. They'll forget about me."

James frowned knowing it wouldn't be so easy but didn't interrupt.

"That is the last thing they'll do," LeBlanc scowled. "They'll track where he's been since he landed in France, and when they find out we had a disagreement, rules be damned, they'll come snooping at the bar and have it under surveillance. If they see you, whether they remember the power sources or not, they'll come after you for the sole reason that you assisted in the loss of their asset."

James clenched his hands but he couldn't deny that as a possible outcome. Hermione wrapped her arms around herself in thought and LeBlanc pulled her to his side. "Let's go inside, catch your breath." His soft look faded when turning to him. "You too, Soldier. I'm picking up my favour."

* * *

It was just after five in the morning and the city was slowly coming alive. James waited in the car LeBlanc was lending them letting him and Hermione have a moment to say their goodbyes. Neither of them knew when Hermione would be able to come back, not until they were sure HYDRA was taken care of at the very least.

He watched from the window as Hermione spoke quietly with LeBlanc and kissed her cat over the head. The Frenchman directed her into his house and they went in for more privacy he supposed. James looked away and pulled out his phone from his pocket and thumbed a message to the group.

JBB: Going to the safehouse in Toulouse. ETA 7 hours. Extraction appreciated and I have a guest.

The response was immediate seeing as it was only around eleven in the evening in NYC. None of the Avengers had early sleeping schedules.

**CAP:** what happened?

**WIDOW:** Leaving without bursting a HYDRA base, I'm almost disappointed.

**JBB:** can't talk yet, i'll be on the road.

**WIDOW:** I changed my mind. I won't be disappointed if we can detour to bust the HYDRA base before evac? Go to safehouse in Nice instead.

**JBB:** done. ETA 9 hours

**CAP:** call us when you can, let's plan to meet in 30 hours. Touch base with us in 12 or when it's safe.

He didn't message more because LeBlanc was knocking on the car window, the ever-present glare on his face darkened. James rolled the window and looked up at him expectantly.

"I know you've been taking HYDRA out one base at a time," LeBlanc started, tossing a USB through the window. "And your Avengers story checked out. So my request is this. I want Hermione brought to safety and kept safe until everything is over and done with. If… if you can help her get home. Even better."

James nodded. "You can trust us to protect her, LeBlanc. I promise you this."

The other man didn't smile. "If you need anything that will help her, call me. I will do it. My programs are working right now to make sure no sensitive information of tonight makes it into the underground, but we won't be able to stop any speculations. I want you out of the country by the end of the week."

"I'm working on it."

He gave one short nod and looked up as Hermione approached. She had a backpack and a sad smile. James tried not to pay attention to them as she reached for another hug from the surly Frenchman.

"Thank you for everything, Gladiolus," she whispered, voice tinged with sadness.

Gladiolus hummed as he hugged her back. "When everything dies down, you'll always be welcome back in my bar, Hermione. Keep safe. And keep in touch." He pressed an envelope into her hand ignoring her protests.

She nodded and let go of him to slide into the passenger seat. She waved as they pulled out of the driveway and set off. James tried not to take note of her red-tinged eyes and her heavy sigh.

The first hour of the drive was quiet, neither of them speaking or turning on the radio. He'd assumed she had fallen asleep but on the second hour, she'd turned to him. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?" she asked.

"I have a safe house near Nice," he replied, briefly looking away from the road. "From there, I have some friends picking us up."

She nodded. "Are you going to be okay driving the whole way? I don't think you've slept if I haven't."

"It'll be safer to head straight there."

She sighed. "Look. We're both tired. We'll be useless if HYDRA finds us when we're working on no sleep. If you turn at the next exit, it's the Natural Park of Morvan. We'll set up camp and I'll put my, uh- I think you called them forcefields? I'll put those up so we'll be hidden and safe enough to rest for a few hours. But you have to trust me, okay?"

There was silence and he contemplated their options.

"Okay," he finally said. He followed her instructions and thirty minutes later they were walking through the forest of the park until she picked a spot that was far enough away from any wandering people, but with enough of a clear space to set out and hide for a few hours of rest.

He watched her fiddle with her bag and when she flicked her wrist, something flew from her hand and a tent was suddenly pulled up from the ground. He blinked. That was handy, he thought as she checked the perimeter. "You can head in, it's bigger on the inside. I'm going to set up the forcefields."

He hesitated at the flap of the tent, watching her with her hands up and a stick in one hand. She was murmuring in Latin and he felt that same heavy feeling in the air that he'd associated with her shields.

He had so many questions.

* * *

After the surprise from the inside of the tent faded, he felt her wary stare on his back from his casual inspection.

She stood uneasily in the middle of the tent. She looked at his metal hand, the glove he'd been wearing over it had been damaged by the bullet fire. "What do I call you? People in the underground only call you the Winter Soldier. But you must have a name."

He reached his flesh hand out. "I'm James."

She shook it. "Hermione." She turned away and started pointing out where everything was. A room for him, a washroom, and spinning in a small turn with her arms out gesturing the common area.

"Have you used this tent often?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged dismissively. "It's not the first time I've been on the run. I'm kind of tired of that life though."

He frowned and moved to reach for her in assurance but decided against it. "Don't worry. I- we'll help you," he said, "You should rest. We'll be back on the road as soon as we're rested. And my friends' current ETA is 27 hours."

She nodded, moving towards her room and pausing by the flap. "Why did you give me this?" she asked holding up the USB. "You must have known that Gladiolus would have shown me the files way before even got your hands on them."

James frowned. "Did you never open the USB yourself?"

Hermione shook her head. "Gladiolus checked it. I trusted him enough to tell me if there was something wrong with it."

Curious. He thought. "Why did you come to me? You could have done your disappearing act the moment you knew HYDRA was there but you didn't."

She glanced away from him, a hand rubbing her arm. "It was the right thing to do." she sighed. "Everything I've read about HYDRA and everything I've found out about you… I couldn't in good conscious leave you to them, super-spy-assassin or not, you've been fighting against them since you escaped. What do the Avengers get out of this?"

"If you've read enough about HYDRA to know they're dangerous, then you know we can't let you or your power sources get into the wrong hands."

She looked up at him, similar to that moment in his apartment, nervous around him, not quite fearful anymore but still defiant. "And how do I know you're not part of the wrong hands?"

She reminded him of Natasha, small and innocent looking, but a fire in them looking for a fight. "You ask a lot of questions."

She rose a brow. "How will I get my answers if I don't ask questions? It's not like there are books I can get my hands on that will explain all this."

He couldn't help but quirk an amused smile, but it was gone as quickly as it came. "If you thought I was bad news, you wouldn't have come to me tonight. So let me ask you. How do you know I'm not the wrong sort."

She avoided his eye. "You've had plenty of opportunities to take me out and you didn't take them. I looked into the Avengers and I know you're fighting the good fight. So… I guess... I want to learn to trust you."

James nodded accepting her answer. He reached into his bag for the balm in the side pocket he had for any aches and pain. He held it out to her. "I- I'm sorry about the bruises," he said motioning to her neck as she accepted it in curiosity, "It will help it heal up a little quicker. Get rest, I'd like to be back on the road in six hours if that's okay with you."

"Rest well," she murmured after agreeing to his plan. She glanced back at him once more before she disappeared into her room.

He waited for a moment, running his metal hand through his hair and sighed. He turned to the room she'd motioned as his, dropping his bag next to the cot that was surprisingly soft.

Why did he feel like he was in over his head?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the POV change was okay! Just a bit more back story stuff until we caught up to where we left off. This chapter took a little longer to write because I struggled with writing in Bucky's POV.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this update! Thank you so much for the support this fic is getting and I hope you continue to stick around for this adventure. The updates will likely be a little slower from here on out, my workload is picking up at my office and they're pulling me back to the office instead of remote work. 
> 
> I did make a master post on tumblr (I resurrected that dead account) for this fic. I'll answer any questions that come up over there and also include a timeline. I'll keep that updated after every update so if you got any questions, feel free to drop them in a review or directly at my tumblr - paramourparty


	4. Curious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hermione POV! I took some time off from writing which was nice, but then it took me a while to get back into the routine I had last month.

**Wednesday, June 29th, 2016**

Hermione was in over her head. She woke up around noon from a fitful rest feeling both disoriented and then disheartened at seeing the ceiling of her tent. Agreeing to follow a man nearly everyone was afraid of, even with Gladiolus's assurances, wasn't exactly the brightest idea she'd ever had.

She sat up from her cot and rolled her shoulders back, a hand coming up to rub at a sore point behind her neck. She'd done quite a bit of wandless magic that had her feeling a little drained and sore, but all things considered not worse for wear. Hermione resolved to keep practising, especially now if HYDRA was going to keep sticking their heads into her business. She wondered if there was a way she could use runes to amplify her wandless work and she reached for her bag to get her notebook.

The thick brown envelope from Gladiolus slipped off the chair when she grabbed her bag. She'd almost forgotten about it. When she opened the envelope, there was money in several different kinds of currencies, though primarily American dollars. There were a few fake IDs and finally, there was a letter and a slim mobile phone.

The letter was short and straight to the point. It was the key for a code that was personal for the both of them. She memorized the key and code easily, burning the note and vanishing the ashes with a wave of her hand. She hesitated in powering up the phone and decided to wait until they were settled at the safe house to do so.

Packing everything away and making a quick note in her book to research amplification runes, she stood to stretch. She could hear James moving around in the common space but hesitated in joining him. Instead, she stared at the USB she still hadn't packed away.

The subtle change in James's blank expression when she told him she hadn't opened it lingered on her mind. Did Gladiolus miss something? She wondered as she pulled out her laptop.

She frowned at her faint reflection on the black screen as she waited for it to power up. The bruising on her neck was nearly gone. The balm James handed her was almost as good as the bruisewort balm from her world. That was another thing she should look into. What plants could be found in this world that might have some magical properties in it?

The laptop powered on and she only had a moment of hesitation before she plugged the USB in and clicked open the folder that popped up. There were multiple files, most named with an initial and a date. The majority corresponded with what she recognized as the HYDRA files. There were a few that weren't initialled or dated but she assumed it would likely be whatever independent research people did on Calanques.

Before she could click one open a new window popped up. It was a small black square with blue lines of text scrolling quickly before it paused and faded into a white logo that seemed to glow faintly with blue; it was a circle with a large A, the line through the letter turning into an arrow. In the mere seconds it took the logo to focus, an Irish voice came through her speakers.

" _Hello, Miss Granger_."

Hermione slammed the laptop shut, heart pounding. What the hell was that?

She caught her breath and cautiously opened her laptop again waiting for the programs and the USB to load once more. The small box popped up yet again and the Irish voice was still there.

" _Apologies for startling you._ "

"Who are you?" she asked, feeling strange for talking to her laptop.

" _I am F.R.I.D.A.Y. an A.I. created by Tony Stark._ "

Hermione scowled. "How the hell did Gladiolus miss this? And what do you want?"

" _Facial recognition through the built-in webcam, mam. I was only to present myself and some files to you. Mr LeBlanc would not have been able to find me even if he wanted to._ " A new folder popped up on the original USB window. This one was titled, Granger.

Hermione clicked it open. There were several files in this one, the names of them making no sense to her, just a jumble of numbers and letters. There was only one document that was titled clearly in all caps: PLEASE READ.

"What was the purpose of this?" Hermione didn't move the cursor to open any of the documents.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. took action on her own, opening the word document for Hermione as she spoke, " _to prove to you that Mr Barnes means no harm. That he and the rest of the Avengers want to protect the power sources you have been working on._ "

"A letter was supposed to convince me of this?"

" _They had to try_."

Hermione was silent as she stared at the word document.

To Hermione Granger,

I know you have no reason to believe a word anyone says, least of all from myself. But I am hoping that, should you decide to give us a chance, we are looking to ensure that the power sources you are working with remain safe. That you remain safe.

Actions speak louder than words. We may not know the extent of your abilities or the reasons behind your actions regarding the power sources but I know that you mean no harm to anyone. You'd been presented with several opportunities to take lethal action against HYDRA, and you didn't take them. I know many others who wouldn't have that same restraint. I know you're working to protect these power sources and while there's a possibility that you may just be biding your time, I don't believe that to be the case.

Please let us help you. If you cannot take the word of the Avengers as a whole, to work on keeping your power sources safe. Take me for my word, whatever it might mean to you. All I want to do is help.

You'll find attached, some decrypted HYDRA files. These files were created after the data dump and aren't circulating the underground. A few of them have mentions of further research HYDRA is doing with the readings they managed to get from that initial surge you caused in 2014. It's not a priority project for them at this time but it's active.

I will keep my distance until you approach me, but I'll be near enough to ensure HYDRA doesn't get to you. If you want to talk, please don't hesitate to reach out to myself, or F.R.I.D.A.Y.

There was a phone number at the end of the fairly formal letter, though it wasn't signed. She didn't know what to say. "I need to think," she murmured more to herself but the A.I. still responded.

" _Of course, Miss Granger. Should you have any questions, I will do my best to provide the answers for you. Of course, my protocols will prevent me from sharing any sensitive information._ "

Hermione nodded, carefully disconnecting the USB and shutting down the laptop.

* * *

She really was in over her head. She'd caught James as he was ending a phone call, a map spread out over her table and a marker in hand. Hermione wondered if he even slept and decided against bringing up the letter in the USB.

Instead, she sat across him at the small dining table as he explained their plan going forward. A small lunch sat between them, food that Gladiolus generously prepared and packed for them.

"Are you mad?" she asked astounded, "we're in the middle of running away from HYDRA and now you're planning to go to one of their bases?"

James merely shrugged and tapped a point he'd circled on his map. It was a forested area between Calanques and Nice. He was planning a pit stop in Marseilles so that they could drive by a potential HYDRA hot spot on the way to the safe house.

"HYDRA is a danger we need to take care of. The thing you need to understand about them is they're almost exactly like the myth. Cut one head up, two pop in its place. Destroying as many bases as we can slows them down. It's the modern-day version of a flaming sword."

Hermione looked sceptical.

"HYDRA is dying," he continued, "They're grasping at anything they can so it's better to take them down while they're still rebuilding. Doesn't it worry you that they're so close to a spot allegedly near your second power source?"

Hermione didn't comment on it and changed the direction of the conversation. "And what- I'm just supposed to sit in the car and hope they don't catch me while you burn them down?" she asked mostly rhetorically.

"Well, no. I was going to leave you at the safe house."

Hermione glared at him. "Absolutely not." Scenarios of all the things that could go wrong ran through her mind like wildfire. "And if something were to happen to you and you couldn't get to me, how do I know if whoever approached the safe house was friendly?"

The way he eyed and assessed her from across the table had her tensing. He folded his arms on the table. "What are you saying then? You gonna storm a HYDRA base with me?"

She frowned in thought. For all of the Gryffindor courage Hermione possessed, she also knew that she was not trained in any way shape or form like this man was. But… she'd been in combat before, she knew how to defend, and if they weren't expecting her, surprise and the unknown could work in their favour.

Hermione ran her hands through her hair, not caring how it made her curls even more unruly. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she murmured and sighed. She stared right back at James, not backing down. "You said you wanted to know if my shield would block bullets? Why don't we try it out?"

She tried not to let his small pleased smirk get to her as they stood from the table.

* * *

There was a curious feeling around James when she pulled out her wand and then transfiguring a dummy mannequin from a chair in the tent. She set it up a good distance across the field. From there she added a few protective runes over the mannequin, just in case.

"You can ask, but I might not answer," she told him.

He had pulled out one of her small tables from the tent and lined up a few of his guns and ammo. A few she recognized as the ones he pulled from his flat, but one was different. It was more of a chrome than a solid matte black and it looked to be of higher-tech.

"That," he said nodding at the wand in her hand, "You didn't use it until the very end last night, and you treat it almost like… a tool?"

She pursed her lip in thought trying to decide on the best answer. "It's my wand so I suppose it can fall under a tool. It helps me focus my abilities."

"You don't always need it?"

"Not really." she shrugged. "But doing things without a wand is expensive energy-wise. I've not yet perfected the art of wandless craft. I'm much more practised using my wand. It'd be even better with a wand that agreed with me," she murmured the latter part to herself and if he heard her, he didn't comment.

She explained the different types of the Protego charms she knew. She took a spot behind the mannequin. Her added runic reinforcements on the fake metal should, in theory, work as a makeshift bullet vest if her shields fail. And she knew from the war that the charm did block kinetic attacks, so it should, again in theory, stand to block bullets. But this world had technology that was vastly different and much more advanced than the ones in her world. So she couldn't be too sure.

Hermione glanced around the mannequin wary but wand at the ready. "I'll expand the shield an arms-length around me, so aim there. And be careful for any ricochet. I'll cast on two and you can shoot on three?"

James confirmed and he set up with his first gun. Hermione gulped back her nerves and squared her shoulders. She counted down and cast silently. The bang of the gun reverberated around them. She flinched when she saw a spark less than a foot above her where a bullet collided with her shield.

He looked pleased with the result before moving on to his bigger scarier guns. A routine formed and it looked as though all levels of the Protego charm held against bullets. The chrome gun though could prove to be a problem in a long fire assault. The shields managed to hold against it but Hermione found herself winded with some sort of push back when the bullets seemed to emit some sort of energy in the ricochet.

James stood from his hunched position behind the table shouldering the chrome gun. "How long do you think you can hold a shield for?" he asked.

Hermione had been casting Protego nonverbally since her sixth year, but it was hard to put an exact number for the answer. Especially if she had to consider what she was casting alongside it, and if she was casting wandlessly or not. "I'm not too sure, it'd depend on several factors."

Before she could say more, he had put down the chrome gun and pick up two handguns and began firing in quick succession without warning. He emptied the magazines in each and was quick to release the empty cartridges and reload before he was firing again.

She'd just barely gotten her shield up in time and when he was done firing she glared at him. No guilt in her as she sent off a few stinging hexes in retaliation. The clearing was silent, the bangs of the guns ringing slightly in her ears.

"You're supposed to warn me!"

He didn't seem phased by her hexes and he merely rose a brow at her. "If you're set on coming with me, HYDRA won't warn you," he said, "great reflexes though."

Hermione didn't let up on her glare and James had the decency to look a little apologetic despite his lack of apology. "We should get going. We can practice some more tomorrow before we head to the base. We'll lose daylight if we don't leave soon."

He gave her a hesitant pat on her shoulder as they walked into the tent to pack up.

"Really though, I'm looking forward to working with you," he said before turning away.

Hermione watched him pack up his map and notes. There were moments where he seemed every bit of the ghost stories she heard. But there were other moments, where he didn't match the stories at all.

* * *

They'd been on the road for hours, the radio playing softly between them. Hermione woke when she felt the car come to a stop. She hadn't realized she'd even dozed off. The sun was starting to set and the time glowing next to the dash said it was a little after nine in the evening. She sat up glancing out the window to gauge where they were.

She noticed James glancing at her as he killed the engine and pulled the key from the ignition. "We're in Marseille," he said, "We'll stop here to grab something to eat and we should arrive at the safe house around midnight."

Hermione sat up and nodded in response. "Sorry I fell asleep on you," she said a little embarrassed.

He merely gave her what she assumed was a short reassuring smile before exiting the car. "I know of a bistro nearby that has a quiet nook we can eat in," he said instead.

She followed his example, exiting the car, stretching her arms over her head and straightening her clothes. The night was a little chilly and the city was still bustling. They must be in some sort of entertainment district judging from the music blaring from several buildings.

He locked the car with a beep and she came up next to him, following his lead down a few quieter streets. A little away from the busy nightlife of Marseille, they came up to a simple bistro that had a cottage feel to it. James opened the door for her and motioned to the nook on the right side.

It was all exposed brick with wooden furniture. There were low hanging lights and the smell of freshly baked bread. It wasn't overly busy and as he said, they managed to secure a table in a somewhat hidden corner nook.

She was quick to notice how it was equally spaced between the entrance and the back kitchen and he'd chosen the seat that would allow him to have a view of both.

Their food was quick to arrive and they ate quietly. Hermione was sipping at her tea before she broke the silence between them. "What exactly is going to happen to me?" she asked, "I know you promised Gladiolus that you'll get me to safety. But then what? What would that entail? Everyone seems to be making plans for me but leaving me out of them."

He looked up so suddenly, she could see the moment he realized his misstep in his eyes and it was enough to ease some of the lingering worries she had. She knew from his letter, he was offering help, but what exactly did that mean for her.

"Sorry," he said and his tone sounded honest. "I didn't mean-" he cleared his throat, "I'm used to just getting a mission and completing it. It's not an excuse but…" he trailed off and she knew where he was coming from.

Hermione nodded, while anything she could imagine about what his life could have been like with HYDRA was horrific, she's sure the reality of it was much worse. "It's okay, we've been busy so it wasn't likely to come up in conversation."

James ran what Hermione now knew was his flesh hand through his hair while his other hand, his metal hand, reached for his water.

"We'll get you to the rest of the Avengers. Get you set up somewhere if- if you don't want to stay with us."

Her fingers curled around her cup of tea, one tapping against the rim as she thought. "Stay with you?"

James shrugged, the movement was small and barely there. "I messaged the team," he explained, "They're aware of what happened and they don't mind. Stark has the room for it."

She frowned. "And it's also easier to keep an eye on an unknown." Hermione didn't bother to hide her thoughts; if she was going to trust these people to help her she needed to know.

The fact that he didn't refute her observation had her pursing her lips.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, we'd set you up somewhere else, safe and close by just in case."

"But likely under surveillance?" she asked with a sigh.

James nodded and they sat in silence again. Hermione contemplated her options. Going to America would allow her to find more nodes which was a plus. Staying with the Avengers or in a house set up by them? Both options sounded the same in all honesty, both included some form of watch, and she couldn't decide which made her feel most uncomfortable. The one where she could have a place on her own and pretend she wasn't on the run or being watched or the place filled with what people liked to call superheroes, some of them keeping an eye on her until they deemed her safe.

"How many people live with you?" she asked, deciding not to commit to an answer just yet.

"It can vary. Some people have other homes so they come and go depending on their needs or the missions. Everyone on the Avengers technically has a space for them on the compound even if they don't always use it."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the non-answer. "When it's a full house then."

"Maybe twelve people?"

She hummed. "And, say I did decide on staying with you, you're sure no one would mind?"

James gave her a small reassuring smile. "I'm sure. Besides, Stark likes picking up strays," he said that like it explained everything. And to him, she supposed it probably did.

She scoffed. "I'm not a stray cat."

James shrugged again but didn't say anything.

"I'll think about it then." Hermione crossed her arms over the table, gently pushing aside her empty plate. She tried not to tense when James's eyes seemed to sharpen as he looked her over again. It was intimidating to be assessed by a man she knew couldn't read her mind, but made her feel like he could. Like she was a mystery book and every moment they spent together he was getting closer to solving whatever puzzle he saw in her.

"For things to go easier, I'd like to know more about your work- the purpose of the power sources," he said as he mirrored her position, arms crossing in front of him on the table.

She swallowed her nerves. "It doesn't sound like you're giving me much of a choice," she eyed him wearily.

"You do have one. You'll always be given a choice, Hermione," he said something so earnest in his tone. "We will plan for your protection with or without any information you're willing to provide us. We're not without means, and I'm sure that Stark or Natasha will work out some information regarding the power sources with enough time and dedication without your input. I'm just saying it will be easier to prepare if we have as much information as possible."

Hermione bit her lip and hesitated. He was right, you can't plan well without the full picture. He must have seen her unease and he leaned back in his chair uncrossing his arms. She didn't wilt under his stare. "Tell me about the Avengers first?"

He nodded, calling the waiter to pay for their meal. He helped her from her seat and said, "I'll tell you about them on the drive."

* * *

**Thursday, June 30th 2016**

It was after midnight when they arrived in Nice. The safe house was a penthouse flat. It was all white and sleek, ceiling to floor windows and it only had one bedroom. She paused in the doorway then turned to one of the grey couches to drop her bag on it. Before she could comment on the room situation James turned to her from where he stood near the kitchen. He'd entered the flat first to inspect it and when he was done he gave her a satisfied nod.

"You can take the bedroom, there's an ensuite. I'll take the couch," he said. He walked across the room and was opening the closet by the door. She watched his hand brush along the back wall before pressing against it, a hidden compartment hissed open.

She blinked and just picked up her bag again to settle into the bedroom. Hermione paused again by the bedroom doorway. She watched him work and then glanced over to the couches. It would be much too short for him to sleep on, even if it was only for a night.

"Did you want me to at least expand the couch for you?" she asked, not quite willing to share a bed with a near-stranger, but feeling guilty at leaving the tall man, who honestly was doing so much for her, to the couch. "Or I can look into pulling the cot out of the tent?"

James looked up from his inspection a slightly surprised look in his eyes at the offer. He glanced at the couch and then back to her. "If you can expand it, that'd be handy."

Hermione nodded and put her bag away before going back into the living room. James was now digging through a large duffle bag she hadn't seen him with before. It was probably from one of the many likely hidden compartments around this place. She moved a few pieces of the furniture aside to make room and with a quick wave of her hand and a nonverbal spell, the couch transfigured into a long single-sized bed.

He'd turned to her with some curiosity but didn't ask whatever questions lingered at the forefront of his mind. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome." She turned back to the bedroom with one final glance back. But he didn't look up at her, busy with his preparation.

* * *

She'd showered and dressed for bed but sleep escaped her. There was light still filtering through the slim crack between the door and the floor which implied James was likely awake. She rolled over with a sigh.

Hermione pulled out the cell phone that Gladiolus gave her and powered it on. There was a message waiting for her in code, mostly just him checking in on her and confirming their suspicions. HYDRA hadn't outright entered his bar, but two agents had been seen hanging around the area.

She typed up a message to let her friend know she was safe and still with James but didn't tell him where they were or how much longer they'd be in the country for. She wanted to send an apology for all the trouble she caused him but knew that it'd only earn her Gladiolus's ire and refrained from telling him.

Gladiolus's reply was seconds later telling her to get some sleep and that her cat missed her.

Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled fondly at the message. She bid him good night and to stay safe before shutting the phone off again and hiding it away in her bag.

There was murmuring coming from the other room and Hermione stared at the closed door. James's voice was too low to catch what he was saying. A glance at the time showed it was a little past one in the morning and likely still early enough in the evening in the united states if he was on the phone with his team. They were supposed to arrive that evening to join them at the HYDRA base.

Summoning a sweater, she stood from the bed and pulled it on. She quietly opened the door and stepped out. James was on the balcony, one hand holding a phone to his ear and his metal hand holding a burning cigarette. He'd immediately turned to her at the sound of the door opening. He covered the receiver of the phone with an apologetic look.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "Couldn't sleep," she admitted instead. He nodded and returned to talking lowly into the phone. She turned to the kitchen area to give him some privacy. Looking through the cabinets to find a mug and kettle and maybe some tea she was pleased to find some.

Once it was set on the small stove, she peeked out toward the balcony. She couldn't help but watch him, curious about him. He'd put out his cigarette in an ashtray she hadn't noticed was on a small table set. The smell of it was familiar and she sighed in realization. Her cat was a traitor making friends with a super-assassin.

She tried to picture her overly friendly cat who loved to cuddle with the tall somewhat broody man in the other room. Hermione couldn't help but try to fight off the smile that twitched at the corner of her lips. It just didn't make much sense, trying to match the stories to this man.

Of course, she understood that there was always another side to a story, and HYDRA's version of the asset, the ruthless Winter Soldier told one truly horrific story. But the man behind those horrors was… she thought on it, trying to find a matching word and came up short. He was cautious but kind. Dangerous for sure, but there was something soft about him that she couldn't place.

His face was usually blank which was kind of intimidating, but there were moments, as though he himself didn't realize it, where his true emotions seemed to gleam through for a short few seconds. Small smiles or smirks, apologetic crinkles around his eyes and the way his brows furrowed together. And curiosity, he seemed to be curious about everything she did.

It saddened her, to realize that HYDRA stole everything that made this man a human being and replaced it with commands to become a tool. She wondered about what he was like before HYDRA, the little bits of his true self that slowly revealed themselves.

Water boiled and tea brewing, she leaned against the counter, not wanting to disturb his conversation by stepping into the dining space near the balcony. She was partway through her tea when James came back in. He looked at her for a moment and she thought she was getting used to the assessing look in his eyes.

"How-" he paused before pushing through his thought, "How are you coping with everything? I know this must be stressful for you."

Hermione blinked, not having expected the question. "To be honest," she started slowly to gather her own thoughts, "it's an adjustment. But I knew that something would catch up to me eventually. You can't run forever." She looked out the window to avoid his eye.

He hummed in agreement. "Doesn't mean we won't try," he commented lightly.

She quirked a small grin but it faded into another nervous bite on her lip. "The power sources…" she started hesitantly looking at him.

He stood a little straighter from where he leaned against the balcony door but didn't press her to continue.

She sighed. "I'm working with the power sources because I'm trying to find a way home," she admitted. She moved to sit at the small dining table. "I'm hoping if I can find and power enough of them, it will bring me home."

James was silent in thought and Hermione finished her tea.

"Where is home?"

Hermione tensed, fighting against the two decisions: to tell him or to keep it a secret. She closed her eyes. "What if I told you that I'm from some sort of Alternate Universe? One that is similar but still vastly different from this one?"

His eyes were assessing her again as if he was trying to find the lie and found none. The stiff posture she didn't realize he held seemed to melt as he nodded at her. "Okay, we can work with this. Would you be willing to tell me how you got here?"

She played with her mug as she spoke. "I don't know a lot of the particulars. I was on a work assignment in my world, October 13th 2006. There was a fight and the power source in my world reacted to it. I think it burst but I can't be too sure, my memory of it is a little hazy." Her eyes couldn't focus on what was in front of her, the memory of that day trying to fight its way to the forefront of her mind. "And then I woke up here, it was October 13th 2014 and I realized very soon after that I was in a different universe altogether and not the future of my own world."

Hermione blinked and suddenly James was closer to her than he'd previously been. There was a cautious way he held a hand out to her. He pulled away when she looked up at him. James looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't know how. She looked away not knowing what to say and stood from the table.

"I should try and sleep," she said, "we have a big day tomorrow."

He reached out once more, the pat on her shoulder this time more tender than the hesitant one he did earlier in the day. "Thank you for telling me."

Hermione nodded and as she turned to the bedroom, she bid him a good night.

He returned the greeting just as softly.

* * *

Hermione woke early to an empty flat. There was a note on the table letting her know that James went to get them some food. She helped herself to some of the still-warm coffee he made. She stepped out on to the balcony taking in the light sea breeze.

It had been too dark when they arrived to see where in Nice they settled in. She noticed they were at the edge of the city, their balcony facing a great view of the seaside. She checked over her phone before pocketing it. There was a message from Gladiolus, another check-in and a photo of her cat. She didn't answer it yet and cooed quietly at the image of her sleeping cat. She really wished Persephone was with her right then. She missed the comfort and the sense of ease her cat gave her even when she demanded extra treats.

The sound of the door opening caught her attention and she watched James step in, a brown paper bag in hand. He approached her carefully, taking the other seat at the tiny balcony table set.

"Good morning," he said as pulled a wrapped meal for himself from the bag before he handed it to her. She peeked inside the bag to see a similarly wrapped meal. "It's just a breakfast sandwich. I kept it basic since I'm not sure what you like."

"Thank you," she said, pulling it out and unwrapping it. They both dug into the meal in silence. Hermione staring out at the view. She could almost pretend that this was just a normal vacation with a friend.

Playing pretend didn't last long though. She turned her attention back to him, taking in the shadows under his eyes. "Do you sleep?" she asked, and flushed slightly at the abrupt way she asked, "I mean- you're just always up before me."

James gave her that small shrug again. "I get by. It's hard to sleep without dreams," he admitted to her.

And that was a reality she could relate to on some nights. "Can… would you tell me about yourself? You seem to know a bit about me, but everything I know about you- you're like a ghost story. Some people don't like talking about you and others are fascinated."

He didn't respond and she winced. "Sorry, that was insensitive of me. You don't have to tell me."

He didn't look upset by her question, just blank. "You said you looked into me, what did you find?"

Hermione propped her chin on her hand as she watched him. Her other hand idly played with the fraying edge of the paper bag. "Not much to be honest. A few files I barely managed to decrypt in Gladiolus's office and most of it was redacted. And then there's a whole lot of gossip from the underground. You've been around for decades but don't look a day over thirty. HYDRA used you more as a tool than a human being. Some implied brainwashing of some sort."

James looked away from her then. She took in the tense line of his jaw, the way his lips pulled down into a deep frown and how his flesh hand clenched so hard against the sleeve of his hoodie, she worried it'd rip. "It's all true," he said.

Hermione frowned. "All of that is the Winter Soldier that HYDRA made you. It's part of your history, but it's not all of you. I want to know about _you_ , not the soldier."

He glanced at her, silent and waiting. "Why?"

"If I'm going to trust you, shouldn't I also try and get to know you?"

His frown lightened, and Hermione liked to think the blank look on his face seemed to fade more a more relaxed resting expression. Maybe that same hint of curiosity she'd seen in his eyes already coming back. "Will you tell me about yourself?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied honestly a small encouraging smile on her lips. "I know my cat likes you. I recognize the smell of your cigarettes on her fur. I figure you can't be so bad if she's taken to you."

He quirked his own small smile in return. "She's a bit of a troublemaker, sneaking in no matter how many times I tried to kick her out."

Hermione laughed lightly. "Yes, she's like that. I haven't been able to train the adventurous side out of her, but I find it charming so I admit to not trying very hard."

James's smile faded slightly as he turned toward the sea again. "I don't remember much," he admitted, "Before HYDRA I mean. The man I used to be feels like a whole other person and sometimes it's like I'm just living in his body."

"What do you remember?"

"He had- I... _I_ have a best friend. Steve."

Hermione's smile softened to mirror James's sudden fond feeling in his body language. "Is Steve the same Steve that's Captain America?"

James nodded with a light scoff. "Yeah, the scrawny punk from my memories is the same reckless adrenaline junkie." There was a hint of worry in his tone but Hermione didn't push. "What about you?"

"My best friend? Well, I have two, Harry and Ron," she laughed lightly as she thought back on her Hogwarts days, "They saved me from a troll when I was twelve and we'd been inseparable since."

"A troll?"

Hermione smirked at his confusion. "Yes, an incredibly stupid and somewhat aggressive being that can be about twelve feet high."

"And you encountered one when you were twelve?"

The curious look on his face was always so interesting to see when she could pinpoint it on his expression. Hermione felt a sudden hatred at HYDRA for taking it from him. He was right, they were a danger they needed to take care of.

* * *

After breakfast and small talk, they started to prepare for their raid. They went over the plans, and the schematics of the building they managed to get. By late afternoon, after a quick lunch, the set out to go. She'd packed everything away into her small thigh bag. And at James's recommendation, dressed in all black. She didn't hesitate to pull out the set of dragonhide clothes and boots, she, Harry, and Ron had gotten custom made when Death Eater activity started acting up. She pulled out her wand holster and clipped it into place on her forearm, and made sure her potions were at the top of her bag for quick access should it be needed.

She braided her hair back and away from her face. Hermione stared at herself in the washroom mirror, trying to calm her nerves. "Just pretend it's an Order mission," she said holding onto her obelisk pendent to ground herself.

When she stepped into the living room, James had also changed. Outside of his civilian clothes and into his combat gear, the dangerous air around him multiplied tenfold. This was what the underground was scared of. She gulped at the picture he made.

He paused when he glanced at her. He rose a brow but didn't comment on her attire. "We won't have time to practice your shields, but it's probably better for you to conserve the energy anyway."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"It's about an hour drive from here, faster if we can do your teleport thing."

She shook her head. "Doesn't work that way. I've never been there before so it'd be too dangerous to attempt it."

He shrugged it off, and grabbed a bag and held it out to her. "Is this too heavy for you?"

She reached for it and it was a little heavy, but nothing magic couldn't help her with it. "It's fine."

James nodded. "Is it alright if you carry that until we get there? We're not gonna take the car. I don't want to leave the car there and put LeBlanc in any more danger."

She slipped the backpack on and whispered the feather-light charm. She frowned when he handed her a helmet realizing what he meant by not taking the car. They walked down to the basement garage where he stopped by a sleek black motorbike.

"I've never ridden on one of these before," she said suddenly nervous. If it was anything like riding a broom she had a feeling this wouldn't go so well.

His brow furrowed in concern, and she wondered if she looked as nervous as she felt. He reached for her shoulder, bending a little so they were more evenly eye-to-eye. "Hey, don't worry." he tried to give her a reassuring smile. "You're starting to trust me right?"

"Yes."

"If you're brave enough to storm a HYDRA base, riding on the back of a motorbike with me should be a walk in the park."

She ignored his small please smirk when she pulled on the helmet, but let him help her adjust the strap. He put his own helmet on and settled on the bike. She bit her lip before she stepped up behind him and got on. He slid the visor of his helmet down and she followed suit.

"Hold tight," he said as he adjusted the arms she'd tentatively wrapped around his torso a little higher.

She shut her eyes when the motorbike roared to life and they were zooming off. Her hold tightened even more at the rev he did just before they sped up. Just what the hell did she get herself into? She wondered.

* * *

It was the longest one hour Hermione had ever endured, but all things considered, she decided that she'd pick the motorbike over a broom any day. Not that she'd ever admit it.

Even though they were about to raid a HYDRA base, James seemed to be in a strange mood. Well, strange in the sense of what she'd seen from him in the last day. She wondered if it was the revenge aspect of ruining HYDRA, or maybe it was the mission mindset.

They were hidden in the forest a good distance away from a concrete looking building. Parts of it were still under construction. What she could see of the building, it was shaped almost like a cross, though, the northern point was the part still being built. James had a scope in hand and he surveyed the area. He'd taken his bag back from her, taking out all of his weapons and strapping them on his back and legs for easy access.

"Where is your team?" she whispered.

"Running late," he said not fazed in the slightest.

He turned to look at her as he packed his scope away. "There are only two guards at the east entrance, it's probably best if we go from there. From the building schematics, there'll be a set of stairs 500 metres to the left from the door we can take to the basement. That's usually where they set up their computers. I want to see what files we can steal before we blow the place."

She scowled. "This is not the plan you were telling me this morning."

"I'm improvising now," he pulled two earpieces from his pouch and handed her one. "Besides, things rarely ever go to plan anyway. We'll be able to communicate with these if we get separated, and once the team arrives, they'll be able to coordinate with us."

"Of course it doesn't go to plan if you don't follow them," she muttered. She watched him turn on his comm and followed the instruction to do the same.

"It'll probably take them fifteen minutes for them to see the downed guards and sound the alarm, so we have to get to the computer room before then. I'll start the download, and you can keep watch on it while I start setting up the explosives."

"And if the alarm sounds before you get back?"

"Stay alive and I'll make my way back to you as quickly as I can if the download is incomplete. The team should be here by then, but I won't stray too far."

She squared her shoulders and followed his lead, "I'm going to cast a disillusionment on us. But it means we'll be hidden from each other as well."

He held out his gloved flesh hand and interlocked their fingers together. "We'll stay like this until we're in the computer room. Two taps means stop, three will mean go. One tap, means I'll let go and you stay put, I'll let you know when you can drop the illusion on me." He tapped the top of her hand with his index finger to show her.

Hermione took in a deep breath to prepare herself. "Okay," she said before she cast the disillusion.

She felt James move, likely inspecting his invisibility. "Huh, that was a strange feeling. Your abilities really are handy."

"Are we really going to start without your team?" She asked.

"They'll catch up," he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes knowing he couldn't see her. It was almost like talking to Harry when he was mission-focused.

He tapped her hand three times and then they set off on a steady careful path closer to the base. She couldn't see what he did, but even with him holding one of her hands, he managed to take down the two guards by the door in seconds, stealing both of their IDs.

They scanned into the building and quickly made their way to the stairs. She followed his lead, stopping before every so often for him to check and then continued when the coast was clear.

From what Hermione could see, the majority of the HYDRA base was built underground. They carefully rushed down five long flights of stairs before reaching the end of it. All the walls in this building was a cold grey concrete. The lights too bright overhead. Every HYDRA agent she saw roaming the halls were fitted in similar black outfits, a lot of them armed with large looking rifles and belts of ammo.

There were a few people she saw through windows of the hallway they were in, who weren't dressed like some sort of soldier. A few of them were dressed casually, and some even had stark white lab coats. She supposed an evil organization needed some brain along with the brawn to be moderately successful.

All too soon, they came to a stop in front of a large metal door. From the window, she could see several computers glowing with data. There were four people inside in lab coats working.

James opened the door slowly, none of the workers noticing. He tapped once and she let him drop her hand. She slid into the room and kept her back to the wall watching as each worker dropped to the floor.

She saw the middle computer that was previously closed come to life. "Hermione," she heard James call her over. She walked carefully to where she thought he was. He seemed to have sensed her because she felt his hand rest on her arm.

"Drop the illusion, stay here and watch this, it shouldn't take too long."

She dropped his illusion but kept hers up. "Something doesn't feel right," she said, "this felt too easy."

James still didn't look concerned. "It's HYDRA, they'll likely have something up their sleeve. I'll be quick." She watched him leave and bit her lip.

The USB he'd plugged into the computer blinked as it downloaded whatever information was available. The screen said it was already at forty percent.

" _Testing,_ " James's voice came through the earpiece.

"Shouldn't we have tested these before getting into the building?" she whispered.

She heard him huff in amusement. " _I was 98% sure it'd work,_ " he said, " _I'm down the hall._ "

"Stay safe."

Only three minutes passed since he left before the alarm blared. She swore and ducked out of reflex even though she knew she was invisible. She looked at the screen and it was at ninety-five percent and she wished it'd be done already.

" _Still in the computer room?_ " came James's voice, it sounded like he was running.

"It's almost done. I thought you said it'd be about fifteen minutes before they noticed!" she hissed.

" _That would be my fault,_ " a male voice she didn't recognize came through the comm.

She heard a sigh that might have been from James. " _Steve, you gotta stop jumping outta planes without a parachute._ "

" _I took out a machine gun on my landing,_ " the person who was presumably Steve replied.

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose. This was really not going to plan, she thought. She heard two other voices on the comm, one female that expressed disappointment that they'd started without her, and another male who said he took down another machine gun. She didn't pay much attention to the rest of the conversation because the screen flashed showing her the download was done. She pulled the USB and pocketed it. "Your download is done. Where should I meet you?"

" _I'm already on the floor above you, west corridor,_ " James said.

She rushed out of the room and back down the hallway to the west corridor. There should be another set of stairs at the end of that corridor.

" _I'll stick to aerial support,_ " a deep-voiced male said, while a feminine one chimed in with a, " _I'll meet you all in the middle, Cap is gonna start planting some explosive in the construction area._ "

Hermione ran up the stairs to the next floor up and when she opened the door, James was fighting against four agents. He saw the door open and positioned himself against the wall and Hermione took the opening to blast them away before dropping her disillusionment.

"Thanks," he said, tossing her a few devices. "This floor is rigged, we'll work our way up."

She nodded and they rushed back to the stairs going another flight up. "I'll set these down this corridor," she said.

"I'll focus on the southern point and we meet in the east," James confirmed and they set off.

Hermione remembered the points he'd suggested were the weak spots in the building's structure, sticking the devices along the walls. She managed to plant three of the five devices James had given her before the floor was swarming with agents.

She had her shield up in seconds as they began firing at her. She swore under her breath as she ran. Something burst on her left that had her stumbling for cover in one of the rooms. But that room had three agents firing at her.

" _You okay?_ "

"Fine," she replied tersely, her wand was holding her shield up but she was getting surrounded. She pocketed the rest of the devices and with her free hand, she focused her magic, putting more power in it than she normally did, and blasted the three agents in the room. They collided roughly against the back wall and didn't get back up. She didn't hesitate to turn her attention to the ones that had followed from behind. She ducked behind the door before summoning their guns away from them with her wand and blasting them with her hand.

" _Main and lower level one, set. Heading to L2,_ " the woman said.

Hermione didn't pay it any mind and didn't wait for the downed agents to get up. Rushing out of the room and down the hall, she planted the last two devices she had. She started for the end of the east corridor when James caught up to her. He glanced back at the mess of agents she left behind her.

He didn't say anything, but there was something like approval at what he saw. "Let's go," he said.

She watched his back while he planted more devices while they rushed down toward the eastern staircase. Hermione had a shield up when she saw more agents rounding the corner and firing. "They're catching up," she said.

James pulled his handgun out clicking the safety off and focused on the approaching agents. "Keep moving. We have to get back to ground. Take lead and force them away, I'll cover behind us."

Following instruction, she continued forward blasting the door to the staircase wide open into the agents that were coming up from the lower levels. She switched to casting her Protego wandlessly so she could cast offensively with her wand with better speed. A few well placed slicing hexes slowed them down, but James was right. When one went down, two more came in its place.

They only got one more floor up before they were clearly outnumbered. She swore under her breath, starting to feel the strain from all the wandless casting.

" _Cap and I are done in the construction, waiting for the go-ahead,_ " the male who wasn't Steve said.

"We're still making our way up, currently on L3," James replied.

If there was any response, Hermione didn't hear it. Something exploded next to them and her shield falters for just a moment from the distraction, but it's enough for her to get sideswiped. James is quick to engage in a fistfight with several skilled fighters.

She grunted, her hands coming up to hold the agent that was on her. Their hands pushed down trying to crush her throat, but she fought back with a desperate blast and stun wandlessly. Hermione felt her pendant pulse against her skin. She didn't have time to think about it just then because another agent turned to her.

Rushing to her feet, she circled to shoot another blasting hex causing the man to collide with an agent about to attack James from behind.

Hermione could feel her pendant warming under her shirt but she didn't want to risk taking it out to inspect it. She just hoped it didn't get any warmer than it already was and burn her.

She'd attacked three more agents charging at her and turned to her next opponent only to see a red-headed woman seemingly drop from the ceiling and land on the man's shoulders. She drove a device into his neck and watched it spark. Then the woman jumped up, landing gracefully as he crumpled to the floor.

She turned to Hermione. "I found our friends," the woman said into the comm, her eyes had the same assessing look that James had. She smirked with a friendly little wave of her hand before she danced her way around other HYDRA agents.

Hermione focused back on the task at hand, continuing to clearing a path to get above ground. She couldn't help but glance at the woman she now knew was the Black Widow. Honestly, as scary as these super-spy-assassin-what-have-you were, it was inspiring to see how gracefully this woman took down men nearly three times her size. James's fighting style was, while very refined, kind of rough and a little barbaric. But this woman? It was a ruthless dance and it kind of made her want to learn. It'd help supplement her offensive magic. Wizards were very rarely so physical.

With the three of them fighting, it was a little easier to get back above ground. Her pendant was burning against her skin by then but she continued to ignore it. A black man with metal wings swooped down, tackling agents as he went when they reached the main floor. She blinked and supposed that answered the questions of who the other male was. "Ready to detonate?" Falcon asked when he landed next to James.

"As soon as we're clear here," he replied.

"Where's Cap?" asked the Black Widow.

" _On your left,_ " came Steve's voice from the comm and moments later he was running into the main floor from the incomplete north hallway.

"Man, shut up," Falcon said.

Hermione watched them all; Falcon's roll of his eyes, Widow's amusement at the sudden banter between the pair, and how Steve strolled up to James and squeezed his shoulder. It was a short moment, but that fact that they decided to take this moment to stop and chat in the middle of taking down a HYDRA base baffled her. These people were all mad, she thought. it was the only explanation.

Her thought must have projected on her face or something because James shrugged at her with a small barely there smile. And then the short break they had was over, they focused on rushing out of the building, fighting against the agents that had regrouped outside.

When they were far enough from the building, one of them must have set off the explosives. She didn't watch it burst behind them. Although, Hermione could feel the heat of it when the fire roared out.

Before they could get any further, someone swore as they stared down a large tank-like vehicle with a large gun pointed in their direction.

"This really wasn't in the plans," she murmured to herself. James took hold of her as they all jumped out of the way from the projectile that exploded behind them. The ground shook on the impact.

She looked up from behind a tree James had tucked them against to see HYDRA was already reloading their weapon and aiming. Falcon took to the air to attack the foot soldiers from above while Widow and Steve ducked behind his shield to block the gunfire. James tried to push her behind him, but she wouldn't let him. Not if she could cast a shield strong enough.

"Hermione, stay back."

She ignored him, the pendant's burn was almost unbearable now and she pulled it from her shirt. She had to trust her gut, trust in her magic because it hadn't stirred her wrong. The pendant glowed and pulsed in her hand and then HYDRA fired.

"Hermione!" James tried to urge her back.

But she stood firm and tall, wand pointing straight in one hand, pendant in the other. The magic from the pendant powered her casting. There was a hard blast on the impact of her shield that filled her vision with fire. The energy from the hit pushed her back a few steps back, making her drop to her knees. But when she looked up breathing heavily and feeling drained, everything was quiet.

The tank was decimated, the HYDRA agents unresponsive. Fire and smoke burned in front of them.

James was next to her, a warm hand on her shoulder. " _Is everyone okay?_ " a voice came through the comm, but her ears were ringing from the blast and she couldn't tell who asked and if anyone answered.

"Are you okay?" she heard James ask as he helped her up.

She nodded wincing a little from a twinge on her knee. "Yes. I think so." Her mind was racing about the pendant.

"What was that?" Falcon asked as he landed next to them, Widow and Steve approaching as well.

James explained how her shield worked and she carefully didn't look at the curious stares it got her from his team. Instead, she focused on the burning mess in front of her.

The level of damage from the ricochet didn't match the first launch of the projectile. She knew she cast a nonverbal Protego with her wand, but she wondered if the pendant picked up on her intent to cast a blasting curse and amplified it. Magic always worked with intent. Was this what the Death Eaters were trying to do? To harness the power of the ley lines to amplify their spells? That was a horrifying thought.

"You sure you're okay?" James asked, jolting her from her thoughts.

She blinked up at him and realized they trekked away from the wreckage through the forest stopping in a clearing. His hand was between her shoulders guiding her. "Just drained," she replied. "What happens now?"

A moment later a jet shimmered into view as though a disillusion fell from it.

"Now, we head home," he said.

She sighed in relief. Home sounded nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you didn't mind the wait for this chapter! For some reason I was having a hard time writing it, these characters just didn't want to follow the outline I had set haha. I really wanted to give Hermione and Bucky some alone time to get to know each other before the team swoops in. I hope I did their interactions some justice!
> 
> Some of you might be wondering when the romance is gonna kick in, and I hope you're okay with a slow-ish burn. One more thing! Starting next chapter, I'll likely be splitting the POV between the two of them now that the timeline has essentially caught up. I was going to split it for this chapter as well, but it didn't work how I wanted it to, so this final draft ended up being only Hermione's POV.


	5. Trust and Friendship

**Note:** Dialogue heavy because we have a lot of characters on the scene. This chapter's POV is split between both Bucky and Hermione.

* * *

**Thursday, June 30th, 2016  
** _James POV_

James thought Hermione looked a little bit more than "just drained". She was pale and her brown eyes looked a little unfocused. Her curls were breaking free from the braid she'd tied it in. There was a slight tremor in her hands and he wondered if that was an effect of using too much of her abilities in such a short period of time.

When the quinjet shimmered into view, she seemed to come back to herself and James felt a bit of the worry ease. Natasha was watching Hermione, eyes sharp and assessing. Whatever conclusions the redhead came up with had her approaching a hand stretched out in greeting.

"Natasha," she introduced.

Hermione accepted the handshake. "Hermione."

Wilson stepped up next introducing himself as Sam. Then, Steve followed.

"Pleasure to meet you all," Hermione said, "And- and thank you for offering up your home to me."

James's hand went to rest on her shoulder realizing she'd come to a decision. "I told you, it'd be no problem," he said.

Natasha's eyes focused on his hand before she smiled a seemingly innocent smile. She reached for Hermione leading her onto the quinjet. "It'll be nice to have another woman around."

James hung back for a moment watching the two women and Wilson walk toward the loading bridge at the back of the jet.

Steve frowned at him and sighed. "Did you even try to sleep?" he asked.

James huffed and looked at his friend's own shadowed eyes. "Did you?" he retorted.

"This isn't about me."

"Steve."

His friend's shoulders slumped. "Sorry. I worry."

"I know," James said. He let Steve drape an arm over his shoulder as they walked to the jet.

"Things go okay?"

He nodded. "All things considered, it could have been worse."

"And her?" Steve asked with a nudge of his head. They glanced over at the trio. Wilson had removed his new and improved Stark made EXO-7 Falcon jetpack and was letting Hermione look it over in curiosity.

"I think it's best to wait for the debrief to go over everything, but, I do think she's trustworthy."

Steve's guard didn't drop as they boarded although there was less tension in the way he clenched his hands. He was still suspicious and James knew his friend would wait and see for himself what James saw in Hermione. Actions spoke louder than words and all that.

The interior of the quinjet was mostly bare in typical fashion of a military mission-ready jet. There was a decent-sized overhead storage along the sidewalls and two rows of seats just underneath that. Fairly standard for missions and while not as comfy as a commercial plane, Stark was all about high quality and some level of comfort.

With the small talk over and all equipment stored, Wilson went to pilot with Natasha taking co-pilot. James approached Hermione. He could see her unease despite the brave front she put on in front of the Avengers. He knew the others could see it too. She was still pale and while the tremor in her hands wasn't as noticeable any more, it was there. She'd taken to holding her hands together to hide it.

He grabbed a cool water bottle from the overhead storage and held it out to her. She took it gratefully with a soft thanks. James sat next to her hoping to ease some tension with whatever familiarity he could offer her. Buckled in, he could see she tried to ignore Steve's watchful gaze from across them.

"You should rest," James said once they took off and settled into the smooth flight.

She smiled wearily. "I'll try. Once the adrenaline gets going, I've always found it a little hard to turn off the vigilance," she admitted. "Are you okay?" she tapped her cheek and he realized he might have a bruise blooming where he vaguely remembered getting a pointy elbow to the face.

He shrugged. "Nothing that won't heal."

She fiddled with the bag strapped to her thigh and then held her hand out to him. "Here," she said, "it's yours anyway."

He hesitated and pressed the small balm container back into her hand. "You can keep this one if you like. I can get another one later."

"If you're sure?"

He nodded. "Yeah, no problem."

"At least put some on your bruise before it gets any darker," she said, still holding the balm out.

He took in the determined look on her face. It was the same stubborn look she had when she argued with LeBlanc after showing up at his house. He had a feeling any attempt at insisting he could go without wouldn't go well. He accepted it with a small smile and thanks. He removed his gloves and with a bit of the offered balm, dabbed it over his slightly tender cheekbone area.

James froze when Hermione leaned forward spreading a bit of the balm a little further out closer to his ear. She paused looking a little embarrassed by her actions and quickly pulled away. "Sorry. I'm just so used to helping Harry or Ron."

He insisted it was okay but she averted her gaze pulling out a notebook from her bag and focused on ignoring everyone instead. He glanced at Steve who rose a brow in his direction but didn't comment.

James looked away. He didn't have any answers for the silent questions Steve asked.

* * *

They were about two hours away from landing and James was standing at the back of the quinjet quietly cleaning off his weapons and storing them away. Natasha came over under the pretence of taking a quick break and leaned against the built-in foldable counter space he was using. A smile stretched across her lips and she hid it behind her water bottle. Steve, the nosy busybody that he was, seemed to hover closer.

"Did you want me to clean your guns too?" James offered when Natasha didn't say anything.

Her grin just widened. "She's cute," she whispered instead. He quickly glanced over to Hermione who had finally fallen asleep, curled up in her seat.

Steve moved even closer and scolded her with a sharp, "Natasha!"

The redhead pulled off the innocent look well. "What? I'm just making an observation."

"This is not the time to be playing matchmaker."

James resolved to ignore the line of conversation and continued cleaning his gun. Natasha on the other hand not so subtly rolled her eyes. "I seem to remember having multiple conversations with you during missions about who was single and ready to mingle." She shimmied her shoulders in emphasis.

"You were suspicious of her barely a month ago," Steve said.

"Well, we didn't know anything about her a month ago," Natasha returned.

"We still don't know much about her."

"I'm sure Soldat here will be willing to vouch for her." Her grin was unwavering, "stop being so serious, Steve. I'm making observations, doesn't mean I'm not being cautious. What do you take me for? Besides, I'm just making conversation."

There was a pause. They were quiet. Too quiet. When James looked up from his work, they were both looking at him expectantly. "Oh, were you done?"

Natasha nudged him as she walked back to the front, "I knew a solo mission would do you some good."

Steve sighed but still looked to him in question. James shrugged. "I don't know what answers you're looking for, Steve," he said as he set his equipment down and faced his friend.

There was a hesitation in his friend's eyes. "Are you unhappy with the Avengers?"

James blinked. "No? Why would you ask that?"

Steve gestured to Natasha. James shook his head. "I didn't take a solo mission to avoid the Avengers, Steve. You know this." He looked away for a moment. "But understand that it's still an adjustment for everyone, including myself. Building my work relationship with this team takes time and trust. And some days, I just need time on my own and Natasha saw that. Hell, Stark saw it."

"I get it," Steve said softly, a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I do, Buck. I just-"

"Worry," James said at the same time. They shared a smile. "I know, Steve."

* * *

It was nearing midnight in New York by the time they landed at the New Avengers Compound. Hermione turned to him with a surprised look on her face. "That is not what I was expecting…"

There was a large lush field all around them, and a little further away was oddly shaped but sleek white multi-level building. One whole wall made of glass windows.

He shrugged. "I did say we had the room."

Stark was waiting for them in the foyer, a mug of coffee in one hand and a tablet in the other. "So much for subtlety, huh," he commented, "heard an apartment building got shot up and a HYDRA base dusted is being hushed through the intelligence net. Should have called me in, explosions are right up my skill set."

James couldn't respond because Stark had already moved on to Hermione, looking her up and down. "She's tiny."

"Excuse me?" Hermione cut in.

Stark tuck his tablet under his arm and waved. "Tony Stark. And I was just thinking out loud. I thought you'd be taller."

James hid a grin at Hermione's questioning stare and flat observation, "You're hardly the tallest person in this room. I'm Hermione Granger, though, I'm sure you already knew that. And I owe you thanks, for opening your home up to me."

Tony waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it," he said leading them through the large compound into a more comfortable common space. It wasn't the conference room, but there was a large enough table to seat all of them and more. James didn't purse his lips or frown at the sight of it, but it was a close thing. He was not the lead here and understood the need and wants of the team to debrief Hermione now instead of later in the morning.

Hermione, on the other hand, did purse her lips at the sight of the room but she sighed, squared her shoulders and took a seat. "Is this where you're going to interrogate me?" she asked and kept her hands busy by redoing the loose braid her curls escaped from. She held Stark's gaze and James knew everyone took note of how she didn't falter.

He took a seat, not directly next to her but close enough to show her that he'd be on her side. Natasha and Stark, the leads on this he assumed, took the seats right across from her. Wilson chose the furthest seat at the table while Steve decided against sitting all together and just stood a few steps behind Natasha.

"Interrogating sounds so harsh," Stark replied," how about politely question?"

Hermione leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "If I deem a question too personal I won't answer."

Stark shrugged but Natasha frowned. "And if it's important to know?"

Hermione shook her head. "I trust you more than I'd ever trust HYDRA, but personal is personal. Unless I feel safe enough to divulge, I won't."

From what James could see, Stark and Wilson seemed to understand her reasoning. Natasha's face was carefully blank and Steve didn't look particularly happy with it.

Stark just pushed forward and presented her with his tablet opened to the photos of her in Britain.

"Can you explain this?"

Hermione didn't look at it. "What do you know about ley lines?"

There was some confusion on Steve and Wilson's faces while Natasha remained blank. Stark looked sceptical. "A pseudo-science where it's believed there's an intersection of lines around the earth," Stark said. "Are you saying the so-called earth energies are real?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know what you would have called it here. But where I come from, there are nodes at the intersections of the ley lines and we use them to power our protections."

"Where you come from?" asked Natasha. "Are you saying you're not from Britain then?"

Hermione glanced at him and he nodded encouragingly.

"I am from Britain… Just not this Britain. The best way I can define it is an alternate universe or dimension. Your earth is very similar to my Earth, but it's not," she said, "... mine that is."

There was silence as everyone seemed to take that information in. Stark sighed. "First gods, then aliens, and now alternate universes?" He propped his chin upon his hand, glancing at James for a moment before turning back to Hermione. "Lemme guess. You're using the nodes of this universe to try and get home?"

Hermione nodded. "If an accident at the ley lines in my world brought me here, there might be a way to bring me back." She frowned deeply, "That's the hope anyway."

Natasha leaned forward. "What else do these ley lines do in your world then?" she asked, "Because the energy levels these things put off when they're activated are honestly fascinating, but it can be dangerous in the wrong hands."

Steve interjects before Hermione can answer, "And if, as you say these power sources are for protection in your world, how does it accidentally bring you here?"

There's a pause as Hermione thought over her answer. "Long story short, I was on a work assignment in my world because someone was tampering with the node. My team and I were sent to fix it. There was a fight, and as I told James, my memory is a little hazy but I think the node might have burst. Then, I woke up in this world," she said looking at Steve before turning to Natasha.

"And to be completely honest, I can't really confirm what else the ley lines can do," Hermione said as she pulled out her notebook. "My people haven't worked with the ley lines outside of using them to power our shields for centuries. Anything more was typically considered taboo. Too high of a risk, too much potential harm to our protections."

Stark gestured to her notebook and Hermione hesitantly passed it along. "You might not understand any of it," she said, "Anyway, I can speculate on possibilities. Especially since the repercussions of messing around with the nodes brought me here. Those notes are just some personal research I've done since landing here. Although, there are some glaring differences between our worlds. I can't say for sure yet, what the nodes here can do if there'd be differences."

Wilson spoke up for the first time, rubbing his cheek in thought. "Do you think anyone can wield the energy here? Or would you be the only one? And what will happen if you manage to get home? Will the protections you put in place around them go down?"

Hermione's tapped a finger in thought. "It's hard to say. Technology here is vastly superior to what I'm familiar with, so I don't know if someone with the right technology can interact with the ley line like I can. But, the protections around the node should, in theory, survive if I manage to get home. And if ever I did figure out how to get home, I'd work towards reinforcing the protections I'd set up before leaving anyway."

There was only the sound of Stark flipping through Hermione's note. "I can kind of understand some of the maths you have here, but some of the equations make zero sense to me. And the symbols. Don't know anything about that. But... the calculations are worrying. The fight that brought you here. What did they want?" he asked.

There was a faraway look that glazed over Hermione's eyes. James aborted his movement to reach over to her when she blinked and looked down at her hands. "What did they want?" she echoed with a hollow laugh, "I imagine they wanted power. It's always about power, isn't it? How they were going to use it without destroying our protections, I don't know but I doubt they cared."

There was a subtle shift in tension as silence reigned.

"How about we end things for the night?" James asked as he stood, "It's been a long day and we can reconvene tomorrow."

Wilson hummed his agreement while Steve sighed and relented. Stark stood passing back the notebook to Hermione. "That sounds good to me," he said. "Let's talk science tomorrow, I'd like to understand these equations more."

Hermione nodded.

Natasha's blank business face faded and she smiled again. "James and I can show you where you'll be staying."

Hermione stood slowly, seemingly surprised at how quickly the atmosphere changed. "Thank you."

* * *

**Friday, July 1st, 2016**

Sleep didn't last long but it rarely did anyway so James wasn't too concerned. When he left his suite, the sun just starting to rise, Steve was walking down the hallway. "Nat wants to debrief," he said after greeting him.

James nodded expecting it, he went back into his room for his notes. They walked down to a lower level and into an actual conference room this time. Natasha and Stark were talking in low tones while Vision, Banner, and Wilson were seated at the table each reading from their own tablets. He dipped his chin at them in acknowledgement before taking a seat.

"Only us?" James asked.

Steve shrugged, "Wanda is visiting Clint."

Once everyone was seated they all turned their attention to James. Their tablets set down, caught up on the basic mission parameters and any notes James added prior to extraction. "Where do you want to start?" he asked.

"Let's talk HYDRA first," Natasha said.

He folded his hands in front of him as he spoke. "The European Underground has been slowly letting go of HYDRA ties. No one wants to be connected to them especially after the leak. Too many eyes can be bad business. From what I could find, they're building a few hubs. UK and France have the biggest HYDRA bases and I'm guessing it's because of the power sources. But they have smaller posts in Estonia, Malta, and Bulgaria." He motioned to the tablets, "I pinned out the locations I was able to find on the map."

"With the new base in France destroyed, do you think they'll stick around there?" asked Banner, he was flicking through the tablet to pull up the map and review it.

James shook his head. "Doubt it, there's going to be eyes on that area for a while to come, they won't want to risk it. I'm sure they've already put a scrub through the area in case any tech survived."

Steve hummed in thought as he too flicked through the notes on the tablet. "Would they relocate any agents to the UK or other hubs?"

Stark chimed in as zoomed in and out of a map on his own tablet as well, "If they're trying to make a new HQ, my money would be moving everyone to the UK."

Natasha shook her head agreeing with James. "Too obvious."

"Same vein of too many eyes watching. If they're going to anticipate another attack from us, they don't want everyone to be in one place and risk getting surrounded," James said.

"How should we proceed? Hit the smaller groups first, then the UK?" asked Wilson.

"If we can get the manpower, maybe a coordinated hit across the board," Steve suggested.

Natasha projected the map over the conference table. "I'd say we hit Estonia and Bulgaria at the same time. Then Malta."

Wilson hummed in thought for a moment. "How likely will they regroup to the UK if we take away all of their European support?"

James had to think over his history with HYDRA and their grouping strategies before answering. "They'll split, we won't be able to get them all in the hole like that."

There was a moment of pause. "How much support do they have left?" Vision inquired.

"Enough," James grunted, "But once we clean Europe it should get easier. Eliminate the European support, the weaker agents with no sense of loyalty will run. We might get the important figures to ran back to whatever hide-outs they still have in the Americas. Did we get anything off the download?"

Stark nodded. "Some, we're still reviewing it so we'll get to it on the next debrief. I'll flag a file I found about their research into the power source." There was a soft chime on the tablets, and the file pinged for review.

"Did you find anything about that from the Underground?" asked Natasha as she sped read through the new file.

James shook his head. "No, but I honestly wasn't expecting too after I found out LeBlanc was on it."

Everyone frowned. Wilson asked who LeBlanc was and Stark filled the team in with what he managed to find of the Frenchman. James added some of his own history with the man for some context as well, but no one seemed to pleased by what was said. A man with a lot of respect and kept in high regard in the Underground could be dangerous should he decide on going against them.

"Who's side is he on?" Banner asked.

"He's not on HYDRA's side," James firmly said. "But we won't be able to use him to persuade the rest of the Underground if that's what you're thinking. That world is different. A lot of them serve their own interests and not really the bigger picture. They won't pick sides and stay neutral."

"And our new housemate?"

James looked at Vision at the question.

"I think she'd help with what she can," he said honestly.

"What did you learn about her?" Natasha asked with a smirk.

The team collectively flicked through their tablets to the section he and Natasha started on the report. Photos of Hermione and the little information they managed to find and the small notes he'd added once he'd found her.

"First impressions led me to believe she doesn't have any malicious intent in regards to the power sources. We know now why her file is faked. I believe her when she says she's just trying to get home. You have my observations - self-preservation, protection. She's loyal to LeBlanc though I haven't figured out how they met or how she found the Underground," he said. "LeBlanc is fond of her, but not romantic. She's friendly enough with some in the underground and there's curiosity there, but no one really asks questions were LeBlanc is involved."

Wilson was nodding, "That's why you went for the protection route, then," he said more as a thought.

"She's not an enemy so the best way to protect the power source is to offer her protection as well," James said.

He went over everything that happened from the moment she knocked on his door until they landed in New York. He hadn't had time to update his information since. "There's something else. Her abilities, I haven't asked about the extent of it, and I'd doubt she'd divulge this early on but she's trained in some way. She has battle instinct and focus and I have my suspicions that she's not quite a civilian where she's from, though not quite military or anything of that sort."

There was a nod from Steve, Natasha, and Wilson who had seen some parts of Hermione in action. "She's not trained physically, but she's not necessarily out of shape. She managed to keep up, kept her cool, and pushed back through any fear," Natasha noted as she was typing in her own observations onto her tablet.

"She has some hesitation when it comes to her own lethal attacks and I don't know if that's her nature or if it's because she's unsure of who her true enemies are. She didn't bat an eye at the lethal action I took against HYDRA," James said with a purse of his lips, "So she's clearly not unfamiliar with violence. She's mentioned things that certainly flag some sort of hardship and her level of preparation speaks of experience."

"That just gives me more questions," Stark whined which earned a chorused murmur of agreement.

"I think, with time, she'll trust us."

"But should we trust her?" asked Steve.

James ran a hand through his hair at that somewhat loaded question.

"I'd like to think so. Yes."

There was another pause and then whatever tension the room had drained. "Well, if she can dust every HYDRA base like she did the one last night, I'd rather have her on our side than anyone else's," Stark quipped.

* * *

They closed off the debrief early with a promise to reconvene in the afternoon if they can decrypt more files from the download. James watched Stark and Banner walk off likely towards the labs. Steve, Vision, Natasha, and Wilson grouped to go to the gym to get some training in. "I'll check on, Hermione."

Natasha smiled that innocent smile of her at him but didn't say anything. They went their separate ways and James walked back up towards the living area. When he approached Hermione's door he felt the same heavy air he associated with Hermione's shield and quirked a small smile.

He knocked on the door and a few moments later, the door opened slowly. Hermione had some dark shadows under her eyes, her curls untamed no matter how much one of her hands tried to smooth it down. Her other hand was rubbing at her shoulder.

"Good morning," he said softly. "I hope I didn't wake you?"

She gave him a small smile in return. "Good morning, James. And no, don't worry. I was already awake." she glanced up at him in curiosity and cleared her throat before side-stepping. "Did you want to come in?" she asked.

"Thank you," he said as he cautiously stepped in. There was a strange sensation walking through her shield, almost as though he stepped through a cool cloud of mist. There was a section on the wall by the door that Hermione had laid her hand on, it glowed faintly as he passed through the doorway. He didn't think he was supposed to notice it and didn't mention it. "How are you feeling?" he asked instead.

He could see Hermione try and hide a wince as she turned away from him to walk over by the window and open a curtain. "Honestly?" she asked with a dry laugh, "I feel like I got run over a tank. Sore, bruised, massive migraine, and drained in a way, I don't think I should use my powers to even attempt warming a cup of tea."

He frowned but followed her to the couch Stark had set up in her personal living room. He glanced around taking in the layout of her quarters. It was similar to his that it had a closed-off bedroom and likely with the ensuite bathroom. A quick scan of the living room showed it was very similar to his own setup. On the small coffee table, he could already see Hermione had taken up the space with notebooks and pens, and off to the corner of the table was the small balm container.

"Is that a common occurrence when using your abilities?" he asked curiously.

She shook her head. "No, not really. At least not to this extent. It's probably all the wandless work I was doing," she said with a slight shrug. "I should be back to normal after a few days of rest."

"If you're sure?"

"I'm sure," she said as she tried to tidy her notes away. "Was there something I could help you with?"

"I just wanted to check-in with you. We can pass by the med-bay, get something to help you manage any pain, or your migraine if you like. The team is awake, so some more introductions will probably be made later if you're up for it." He shifted on the couch as he took in her need to keep busy, her hands moving and fidgeting over her table. "If you're hungry, I was going to go down to the kitchen for breakfast."

She looked overwhelmed for a moment, and he could understand, could relate a little because he was new here once. So much change in such little time to adjust, especially when surrounded by people who she must know were powerful in their own ways. But even still, he watched her square her shoulders.

"Food sounds nice." She stood from her couch, "let me just… I'll go change."

He nodded and waited patiently as she left to change out of her sleepwear. It looked like an old sport-tee with a team and logo he was unfamiliar with, and some baggy grey sweatpants, similar to the ones he favoured on his own downtime. He glanced around some more at the table specifically, taking in some of the loose notes she hadn't put away. Neat penmanship, equations of some sort and a lot of symbols he didn't recognize were drawn of several post-it notes. There was a cell phone he hadn't known she had that blinked to life with a message but glancing at the screen, it was encrypted. Probably a gift from LeBlanc, he thought.

He glanced around the room and notice that some surfaces along the wall the doorways and windows had some symbols etched into the walls. He wondered if those powered her shields in some way. He smirked a little at the thought of Stark seeing the slight changes she was making.

When Hermione exited her room, he stood and with a small grin held his metal arm out to her. "Let me give you the tour you should have gotten last night and then we can get something to eat."

She returned his grin with one of her own, although there was a shy hesitance in the way she took his arm.

"Okay."

* * *

**Friday, July 15th, 2016**   
_Hermione POV_

After two weeks of living with the Avengers, Hermione found herself still trying to adjust. She met more of the team; she agreed to let F.R.I.D.A.Y. have access to her living quarter as long as she wasn't in the bedroom; she had meetings with Natasha and Steve, or consulted with Tony and Bruce whenever they came in to ask her about the nodes; James made an effort to check-in on her at least once a day, but being back with the Avengers kept him busy too. Outside of all of that, the Avengers mostly left her to her own devices.

Left on her own for large parts of her days had Hermione feeling lonely. Texting Gladiolus just wasn't the same as bantering with him at the bar. Photos of Persephone couldn't replace cuddling on the couch when the loneliness started hitting particularly hard.

Hermione sighed. She had moved her couch to be closer to the window and stared out at the large expanse of green fields. She'd spent most of the morning researching and had settled in for another long quiet day of frustrated brainstorming. Her pendant glinted in the sunlight from where she set it on the table.

She felt fairly certain that the Death Eaters tried to harness the energy of the node into the orbs she vaguely remembered them holding. She shuddered to think about what was happening in her world if they succeeded in making anything that worked like the pendant.

She picked it up and clicked the chain back around her neck. Hermione liked to think she was getting closer into figuring out how the pendant activated. Her notes and scans showed it was an overcharge of magic and intent.

Before the HYDRA mission, Hermione had used her magic pretty sparingly, especially since she had to be careful of who was watching. Any magic she did use didn't have the same level of power or intent behind it as she used on the mission. When she was at the node, her magic worked directly to powering the ley line. But away from the node, all of the residual magic from her spells could potentially be pulled into a focus, or in this case the pendant.

Leaning back against the couch and staring at her ceiling, she huffed. At least that's what her current thread of research was implying. But then it raised more questions. What exactly happened in the field before she landed here?

She closed her eyes to pull the memory of that day to the forefront of her mind. What she wouldn't give for a Pensieve right about now to make things easier.

She remembered Death Eaters were pulling magic away from the ley line and node. She remembered trying to stabilize the outpour, but then what? If the ley line had an ability to sense intent like the pendant, just what was it trying to do by sending her here?

A quick shake of her head, she cleared her thoughts. With more than enough free time on her hands, these questions had been on a loop. She honestly thought it'd make her go insane if she didn't do something different for once.

" _Are you okay, Miss Granger?_ " F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice sounded from her ceiling. It took almost everything she had not to jump in surprise. While she'd had some conversations with F.R.I.D.A.Y. since allowing her into the space, it still startled her when the A.I. would initiate conversations.

"Peachy," she murmured before she sighed again. "I'm sorry, F.R.I.D.A.Y. I'm just… I don't know- restless I guess."

" _Is there anything I can assist you with?_ "

Hermione held back her sudden urge to snark about wanting to go home, about the loneliness that was starting to settle in again, about wanting things to go back to normal. But then, what was normal? Paris could have been her new normal, but admitting that, did it mean it was also her new home? Even thinking about it made her head and heart hurt. Felt guilty at even thinking of snapping at the A.I. when she was only trying to help.

"I don't think so, but thank you," she said quietly, hand rubbing at her temple to ease her growing headache.

" _If I may be frank with you, Miss Granger,_ " started F.R.I.D.A.Y. " _perhaps you should take a break from your research for today._ "

Hermione frowned up at her ceiling. "And do what?"

" _What do you like to do?_ " F.R.I.D.A.Y. asked.

She thought it over. Since arriving in this world, Hermione didn't really do much. She researched. She worked. The bar and the friendships she made there was a nice distraction from her troubles. "I don't even know anymore," she admitted, tone resigned.

" _What would you like to do_?"

Hermione stood from the couch and stretched. "Honestly? Anything at this point."

" _Mr Barnes, Mr Wilson, Miss Romanoff, and Mr Rogers are all in the gym. Would you like to join them?_ "

She paused. "Join them?"

" _Yes. They are training._ "

Hermione glanced at the clothes she'd chosen for the day, an outfit she'd worn many times when she had basic excavating fieldwork back in her world. A simple black tee and black pants that stretched and offered good mobility. "I suppose I can… pass by? A walk around the compound will clear my head anyway," she said walking from her suite. "Could you guide me there?"

" _Certainly, Miss Granger._ "

"Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y."

She followed the instructions to the lower levels and soon she was in front of a large sectioned off area of the building she'd seen in passing. From the windows, she could see the four Avengers. Steve was by the punching bags at one end of the room. Natasha and James were sparring near the middle while Sam was resting on a bench downing a water bottle.

The door slid open silently for her, and Hermione hesitantly stepped in. Sam looked up when she approached the bench and greeted her with a small smile and nod. "Is it alright for me to be here?" she asked.

"Of course," Sam replied, there was a curious look in his eyes as he scooted over a little to give her more room on the bench and she cautiously took a seat.

Even though none of the others paused in their training, she had a feeling they all knew she'd come in. Natasha was pushing James back with several powerful jabs.

Sam set his water bottle down, turning on the bench to face her. "You okay?" he asked.

Hermione frowned. "Do I have a sign on my forehead or something," she grumbled in question.

His lips quirked in mild amusement. "Not quite. But, we know that being here is another thing you have to get accustomed too," he replied.

She shrugged then.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

"Just restless."

He nodded then. "Understandable. You know, I'm sure if you asked anyone of us would guide you anywhere in the city? If you wanted to see how different our New York is from yours, it'd be fun. I'm sure Tony would love to hear about it."

She blinked at him. "Really?"

It was Sam's turn to frown slightly. "You're not a prisoner here, Hermione. You're free to do what you want. I mean, as long as it's not to murder us in our sleep."

They shared a small laugh, but it didn't stop her shoulders from hunching up in defence. "I know." She didn't look away from him and she could see something like guilt flash through his eyes.

He rubbed at his cheek and thought. "We- ah… We might have been remiss in giving you space," he started, "we didn't want to overwhelm you by crowding around, you know? I can't really speak for the whole team, but I'm sure they're in agreement with me, that if you want you could find friends in us. We just didn't want it to look like we were forcing our presence on you. We wanted to make sure and wait until you were comfortable."

"Oh." The sound escaped from her lips and with it, the hesitance and caution she'd held since moving in followed. Her shoulders dropped, tension gone. She cleared her throat. "I'd like that."

They turned away to look at the others. Steve had joined in the spar teaming up with James. Hermione watched the way Natasha used both of their height and weight differences to her advantage and slam them to the ground in a twisting tangle of limbs.

Hermione turned to Sam. "You know, fighting usually looks kind of barbaric. But Natasha?" she turned back to see Natasha stand smoothly, "I never knew fighting could look so graceful."

The redhead woman smirked turning to them and not hiding the fact she'd heard their conversation. The trio paused their spar to approach the bench, greeting Hermione with smiles as they reached for their own drinks and towels.

"Do you wanna learn?" Natasha asked, eyes assessing. Always calculating but it wasn't a cold look, more curious. Hermione realized a lot of the Avengers were curious about her.

Hermione blinked in surprised and Sam grinned.

"Really? You'd teach me?"

Natasha nodded. "If you want."

"We can all help," James said, "Self-defence is something that everyone should know."

"Okay," she said with a smile. And this one felt more real than all the small smiles she'd been sharing for the past two weeks.

* * *

**Tuesday, July 26th, 2016**

Since that day in the gym and the start of her defence lessons, it was like an invisible wall came down. Soon, members of the Avengers would seek her out if they were free just to check-in and offer some company.

There were more shared meals amongst the group and Hermione watched the banter with amusement. There were more casual conversations between meetings, and slowly, that creeping loneliness started to seep away.

James still came by when he can, even if she'd seen him earlier in the day for training. They'd settled into a routine of checking in with each other in the evenings. Sometimes they just had small talk. Other times, they settled side by side on a couch. If they were in her living room, they usually read. James trying to catch up on all the history he's missed and Hermione studying. If they were in James's living room, Steve, Sam, and Natasha would join in, and it'd eventually become an impromptu pop-culture lesson. Sam and Natasha bickering about what was considered good music.

It was another early morning. Hermione had gotten into a routine with spending her mornings talking with F.R.I.D.A.Y. who had a large extensive knowledge of where to find the right references she needed for her research. Together, Hermione started learning the higher maths she missed out on because Hogwarts didn't teach it; she learned about the scientific and technological advances this world made that honestly amazed her.

There was a knock on her door, but too focused on the notes she was writing, she opened it with a flick of her wrist instead. "Come in," she called.

Whoever it was, she heard them step into the room but only realized just who it was from F.R.I.D.A.Y.s greeting, " _Hello, Boss._ "

Hermione finished her sentence before she looked up at Tony Stark. He was casually looking around her living room, hands in his pocket. "I hear you and F.R.I have gotten buddy-buddy lately," he said in lieu of a greeting.

"Yes?" It came out more as a question than a statement, confused if she was doing something wrong, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. has been helping me with my research."

"Bring your notes," he said and gestured out of the room.

"What?" He didn't respond though, choosing to walk out of the room instead and Hermione rushed to gather her things and stuff a few things into her bag then rushed after him. "What is going on, F.R.I.D.A.Y?"

" _Apologies, Miss Granger. I'm unable to say. But Mr Stark is aware of the hours I've logged working with you,_ " she said but it just gave her more questions than answers.

Hermione pursed her lips as she followed after the man. "Are you upset with me?" She asked, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. only offered to help me."

Tony laughed lightly. "No, I'm not upset, excited really. Sorry," he said, "Pepper says sometimes I'm too abrupt. Here!" He led her into one of the labs he'd been working in with Bruce.

Bruce looked up at their entrance and waved from his usual desk at the back corner of the room. She'd been in the lab a few times consulting with their research on the ley lines, but at the time, there'd only been the one large desk Bruce was currently at. The rest of the room had been open for experimentation. Now, at the other end of the large room, there was another large desk in a corner as well as a table in the centre of the room. The centre table had several screens set up and paperwork all over it that looked like Tony's research. The one in the corner was clear except for one simple screen and a large chair.

"I'm confused?" She clutched her notes to her chest.

The sometimes green man rolled his eyes. "What Tony is not saying is he cleared a space for you. To work and study. It's always good to have a separate space for work and home," Bruce said with a gentle grin.

"Yeah, what he said!" Tony led her closer to the cleared desk. "Just let F.R.I know if you need anything, pens, paper, notebooks. She said you preferred that to computers. But I'm sure between Bruce and I, we could convert you to modern tech in no time."

"Why?" She asked.

Tony frown confused. "What do you mean why?"

"You've already given me a home and offered me protection. Why are you giving me this?"

Bruce chuckled and turned away leaving Tony to struggle in explaining his constant need to give. Tony glared at him, "Don't laugh at me, Brucey," he whined, "Why do people always question me when I want to gift them things."

He looked Hermione in the eye. "Is 'I want to' a good enough answer?" he asked but didn't give her time to respond, "I looked at what you're studying with F.R.I.D.A.Y., sorry I'm nosy and she can't lie to me. You're smart. You're quick. And we like you. Isn't that enough?"

"But I can't pay you back for any of this! This is a lot, and I already owe you for having a roof over my head and-"

Bruce had dropped his attempt to work and walked over to the pair, a hand clasped over her shoulder to cut her worries short. "You can rant to Tony all you like about feeling indebted to him, but he magically goes deaf when those conversations start. It'll be better to save your breath." he chuckled.

Hermione slowly placed her notes onto the desk. But looked at the two of them, "I don't know what to say?"

"A thank you would be nice," Tony said.

Hermione laughed. "Thank you, Tony. Truly. This is too much."

Tony shrugged. "It isn't too much. But you're welcome. And you think you're not doing something to pay me back? You're wrong. You're helping us take down HYDRA, you're helping us keep these ley lines safe. That's more than enough thanks."

"It's always nice to have another person to talk science with," Bruce commented.

"I'm not quite as knowledgable as you both, yet. But I can learn."

The duo smirked. "We know," said Bruce.

"Oh! Before I forget, the next room is where we are gonna do all the explodey experiments," Tony said pointing to the other lab across the hall. "I had all the windows there replaced for triple reinforcements. I wanna have a look at the pendant research you sent me last night."

Hermione blinked. "You already finished reading it?" She asked surprised.

"Yep."

She glanced at Bruce who shook his head, "I'm partway through."

Turning back to Tony, she quirked a brow up. "Do you sleep? Does anybody in this place sleep?" she asked.

Tony just laughed and then pointed out that his favourite feature in this lab was the coffee and espresso machine he had sent up in a wall compartment in the hallway. He grudgingly said he made sure to bring in the electric kettle for her tea.

Hermione watched wide-eyed as Tony gave an enthusiastic tour of the two labs instead of the one she'd gotten on the first go around. "Is he always like this?" she asked Bruce who tagged along. She'd never really seen Tony this energetic. She'd seen him snarky for sure but in his element like this? It was a nice change and tone in banter.

He swept his slight curls away from his eyes and gave her a sheepish smile. "You learn to live with him and his too-much gene."

* * *

**Sunday, July 31st, 2016**

Even when things went well, there were some days where Hermione woke up with a sadness in her.

Gladiolus must have remembered how melancholic she got on these days. There were several messages on her phone from him, all light-hearted stories of his days and gossip in from the bar to keep her in a good mood. He'd sent enough photo and videos of Persephone to tide her over.

Friend's birthdays were always a little hard. She wrote a letter yesterday to Neville for his birthday, she wrote each and every one of her friends' letters on their birthdays and saved them in her bag with the hope of one day being able to pass them along.

It always hit her more when it was Harry or Ron's birthday. Her closest friends, first friends. She missed them and hoped they were doing well.

Despite it, she kept up with her routine. Natasha was out of town on a mission with Steve, but Vision and Sam were more than willing to help her with her practice the self-defence routines Natasha put together for her. They spent most of the morning working on the power behind her hits and practice escaping different holds.

There was some news that on the way back from their mission, Natasha and Steve would be picking up some other Avengers Hermione heard of, but hadn't yet had the chance to meet. James was away for most of the day but she didn't know where.

She'd helped Bruce in the lab during the afternoon while Tony complained about being stuck in meetings all day. They'd made some advances in her research and started comparing the maps from her world she had from her notes to the maps of this world. With a basic understanding of the differences, it was easier for her to start mapping out the ley lines that crossed over the Americas.

When everything was done for the day, and as the sun started to set, Hermione found her way onto the roof. There, she settled into a small lookout spot F.R.I.D.A.Y. directed her to one restless day when the whole team had been called to a meeting.

She leaned against the railing, letting the breeze brush through her hair. Watched as the sky changed colours, the yellows, oranges and reds fading into deep pinks and purples and blues.

Before it got too dark, she pulled out her notebook and started penning her birthday letter to Harry.

 _Dearest Harry_ , her letters to him always started the same way.

 _Wishing you a Happy Birthday. The_ _ **happiest**_ _birthday to my best friend. I'm sorry again for having to miss another one but I hope that it's a great one for you; that this day and every day that follows is full of love, great food and even better company._

_I wonder how you're doing, how everyone is doing, and I can only hope that you're all okay. I send my well-wishes out and hope that one day, you will get these letters and know that I love and miss you with all my heart._

_One day, I hope we can meet again so I can give you a real birthday hug. Or… Just to get a hug from you in general. Please give my love to everyone, add an extra hug and tell them it's from me._

_Again, Happy Birthday, Harry._

_All my love,  
Hermione._

She stared at her notebook and the letter before she gently ripped it from the spine of the book. With quick silent casting, the paper folded itself into a small origami flower. She opened the small bag she still strapped to her thigh every day after training and placed it in the small pocket with the rest of her letters.

Packing her notebook away again, she leaned against the railing again with a pout. The sun was almost gone now, sleep would escape her tonight.

"Hello," someone called.

Hermione looked up and behind her to see James standing back by the entryway. He was dressed casually in dark pants and a light and loose teeshirt to stave off the heatwave they were having. With night falling quickly, it was cooling and a lot easier being outside at this time instead of during the day.

"Oh, welcome back," she said, "Vision told me you were out today."

James nodded as he approached, leaning against the railing with her. "Thanks. How was your day? Wilson mentioned you seemed a little sad today."

Hermione flushed slightly, patting her cheeks as she avoided his gaze. "Ah. I didn't think I was that obvious."

James reached out, another of his reassuring hand over her shoulder. "We're an observant bunch," he said lightly, "did you wanna talk about it?"

She shrugged. "It's silly."

He shook his head. "I doubt it."

Hermione huffed, still rubbing at her cheeks and trying not to pout or frown, or unload all of her melancholy on him. "It's… It's my best friend's birthday today. I just felt a little sad about missing it is all."

"You're allowed to feel sad about that. I don't think it's silly," he said.

"It's just that there are so many other things to feel sad about."

James turned to face out into the field. "Maybe, but it doesn't make your reason any less valid." He turned back to her and held a hand out, "Do you trust me?"

She took his hand. "You know I do, James."

He smiled and tugged her along. "Come on."

Hermione tried to fight off the smile as she followed behind him through the building and to the garage. He stopped in front of a motorbike. It looked similar to the sleek black one they left behind in France, but this one had a bit of a blue shine to it. In front of it was a selection of helmets and he took one and passed it to her with a daring quirk of his brow when she hesitated.

"Do you not drive cars?" she asked accepting the helmet.

The quick lift of his lips was gone fast but she still caught the slight smirk. "I prefer the bike," he said as he helped her adjust the strap of her helmet. "You got that jacket you wore on the mission? I noticed it was reinforced with some strong padding?"

She nodded and pulled it out from her bag while he pulled his own jacket off the hook.

"You're making me question my trust in you," she deadpanned but he just laughed.

"You are a curiosity. You can storm into a HYDRA building. You can confront a stranger who could have been after your life. You're willing to fight, and from what I've seen, keep fighting. Why does my bike make you nervous?"

She flicked down the visor of the helmet. "Maybe it's your driving?" she retorted.

He hummed in amusement. "I don't think so."

She followed him onto the bike and held tight when he revved the bike to life. She closed her eyes when they zoomed off and out of the building.

They were cruising down the road getting closer and closer to the city. Slowly the nerves passed and Hermione was able to open her eyes, resting her head carefully on his back as she watched the scenery speed past them.

It was just the roaring of the bike and the wind and a strange feeling of safety despite the alarming speeds that had Hermione forgetting her little bout of sadness. Perhaps she was warming up to the idea of the motorbike. She thought.

She wasn't sure how long they were on the road for but eventually, they were pulling into a small side street and parking. James helped her off the bike and from underneath the seat pulled out a baseball cap and pulled it on after taking off his own helmet. Then he turned to her and held out an arm to lead her through the city streets. Under his other arm, he held his helmet.

"Where are we going?" she asked, her own helmet tucked under her arm. She hoped her curls weren't too unruly.

He glanced down at her. "I thought you trust me?"

"I do."

"You must not like surprises then?"

Hermione laughed. "Oh. I like them, but I've never been one to not ask questions."

There was something like amusement in the way his eyes crinkled with his smile. "I noticed."

They walked down two left turns and then stopped at a bakery. She took in all the sweet smells of freshly baked pastries and bread. She was surprised they were still open.

"What are we doing here?"

James pulled her into the bakery with an arm over her shoulder. "We're going to celebrate your friend's birthday. You wanted to celebrate it didn't you?"

She felt her nose burn and eyes glisten at the thought. Hermione smiled brightly at him. "Thank you," she said earnestly.

Moments later they were sitting on the sidewalk next to the motorbike. Helmets by their feet. They each had a pastry in hand. They both softly sang a quiet Happy Birthday to Harry and ate in silence. It was a short moment, but a sweet one too.

They were back on the road moments later but instead of heading straight back to the Avengers Compound James detoured and they stopped at a clearing about fifteen minutes away with the viewpoint of the Hudson River.

The crickets were loud and the cicadas even louder. But it was nice. "Thank you… again," she said, "For everything really."

James nodded. "You're welcome."

They were leaning against the railing again, almost like they were on the roof at the compound. Hermione was showing him the videos of Persephone that Gladiolus sent and they laughed together at how her cat stumbled and jumped over a feather toy. She felt better than she had that morning, a lot better in fact, but she still felt like something was missing. When she swiped to the next attachment, she stared at a photo of Gladiolus's arm cuddling Persephone close.

"I…" Hermione flushed and turned away, standing straighter her arms coming up to wrap around herself after pocketing her phone. "Can I ask an awkward question?"

"Sure."

"And you can say no," she insisted when she faced him again.

He gave her a reassuring smile.

Hermione took in a deep breath, her arms dropping loosely by her sides, hands fidgetting with the sleeve of her dragonhide jacket. "Can I have a hug?" she laughed weakly trying to fight off a frown. "I mean- it's just there was my cat, Persephone, who I could hug whenever I wanted, and Gladiolus- but here, I'm not-"

James pulled her close slowly to give her a choice to change her mind. "My hugs probably won't be as good as Persphone, or LeBlanc, or your friends back home," he said as Hermione stepped as close as she could and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "But I'd like to think we're friends now too," James continued softly, "so… if you need one. You can have one. Whenever you need."

It was the first hug she's had in a month. Hermione hadn't realized how much she missed simple gestures of affection, but then she'd always been a very tactile person and words of comfort only went so far.

"Sorry," she whispered but didn't let go.

She could feel James shake his head, his arms still steady around her. "Nothing to apologize for."

When she let go, it was with a deep relieving breath. "Thank you, James."

He brushed a hand down her hair. "You don't have to thank me for hugs, Hermione. But, you're welcome."

She smiled at him and followed him back to the motorbike. As she settled onto the bike, arms around him and driving through the night again, she closed her eyes. James thought she was a curiosity, but he clearly didn't know how much of one he was himself.

This James was different from the quiet and curious one who checked in on her and seemingly enjoyed her company. Different from the one who smirked at her with a challenge in his eyes and a snarky dare on his lips during training. That even after everything he's been dealt, there was still something so soft behind all the danger and mayhem.

He revved the bike just before a turn and she held on tighter. It made her wonder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tl;dr - delayed update because my laptop broke so I'm saving for a new one. Lots of dialogue in this chap and less action because everyone needs to rest and to get to know each other. Come chat with me on Tumblr if you got time!


	6. Trust and Friendship (Part 2)

**Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016  
** _Hermione POV_

Transitioning into her new life with the Avengers was going as smooth as it could go. Sometimes, it felt a little too smooth. A small part of Hermione worried that maybe she was becoming too lax with her perceived safety net and resolved to still maintain her constant vigilance.

That came to a head when she met Wanda.

Hermione was walking with James through the compound that afternoon, telling him softly that something late the night before pinged on her wards. It woke her, mostly from surprise because her wards had been pleasantly silent since moving in. She hoped that it was nothing but just the fact that something set it off, even from a distance, was always worth noting.

"I'll help you look into it," he promised as they walked into the kitchen to grab a snack. That's when they noticed the youngest Avenger was already there with Vision.

Vision took charge of the introductions. "Hermione, this is Wanda," he said pointing between the two of them, "Wanda, this is Hermione, the newest resident."

As Hermione shook Wanda's hand, a spark tingled up her arm then down her spine and her pendant warmed. _Oh,_ she thought, _this is what pinged the ward_. The energy felt the same.

When she looked at the young teen, there was curiosity in her eyes. Hermione's brows furrowed together. There was something that skimmed along the edges of her mind pulling memories to the forefront. She quickly let go of Wanda's hand ignoring the faint red glow of the other girl's powers. "Please ask permission before you enter my mind," Hermione cautioned gently.

Wanda looked surprised at being caught, eyes widening and a frown on her face. "Sorry. I just needed to be sure," she said.

Hermione pursed her lips not wanting to give in to the frustration. She tapped down on the instinct to hex first and ask questions later, not wanting to take it out on the young woman.

She'd worked so hard on her relationships within the Avengers and attacking here and now would do her no favours. But... to have the distrust thrown back in her face again after a few weeks of almost easy friendship was hard to swallow. "I understand, but please ask next time. Most people do not take kindly to the invasion of privacy."

James and Vision were glancing between them, a little worriedly. "Shall I get the others?" Vision asked, "a team meeting might be prudent. It would be best to give a full debrief for Wanda and Clint."

There was a stiff nod from James. From that, Vision floated from the room. Wanda's hands clenched around the mug of coffee she was holding. There was a tense silence.

Slowly, those who were available ventured in. Steve arrived first, followed by Tony and Vision. There was another man Hermione hadn't met before, but if Wanda was back, this man was likely Clint. Natasha came forward with him, handling the introduction and it was easy to see the long camaraderie the two had. Steve mentioned that Sam was at one of his groups setting up for his meeting and Bruce was out as they settled around the room.

Hermione knew they were trying to keep a casual air around this meeting, but it just brought her back to that first night of questioning.

Tony stared at everyone over the rim of his large coffee mug. "So how much of the case log did you read, Legolas? Little Witch?" He asked the two Avengers.

Clint shrugged. "Nat caught us up last night on the jet."

"I just wanted to be sure," Wanda insisted.

Everyone looked to Hermione and she barely refrained from scowling. "I understand the need to learn about my motivations and my story. But I won't allow my mind to be invaded without permission." She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I've been very honest with all your questions and very open when I felt something was too personal. The polite thing to do is ask." She stood firm on this stance.

Steve looked between the two women. "What did you see?"

Shoulders hunched up, Hermione couldn't hide her scowl even when she looked away. The memories that were brought up were some she wanted to move forward from. Old pains and grief. Wanda stared at her before she turned to answer Steve. "Just… little pieces of her past before she kicked me out," she admitted and looked down at her clenched hands. Then she looked up again, straight to Hermione. "There's a lot of fighting in your past."

Hermione's shoulders slumped and then she straightened not going to back down when she knew she wasn't in the wrong. "It's what happens when there's war."

There was silence again but something about her statement had a few of them standing to attention. Like a missing piece of their puzzle was found. "You never mentioned a war," Steve pointed out.

"It wasn't relevant to my work with the ley lines."

Clint eyed her suspiciously. "You might think that, but the history of your world will help us understand the motivations that could have brought you here in the first place. Fighting seems to follow you. A fight brought you to our universe. How do we know what side you're on?" he asked. "How do we know it's not some story you fabricated? That there aren't others waiting on the other side to come here when you've powered enough of these ley lines?"

"I don't know how I'm going to prove to you that I don't mean anyone any harm. I could yell it out a million times but it's up to you to believe me or not," Hermione retorted. "Why would I lie about wanting to go home?"

"For power. You said it yourself," Wanda said, "In the debrief notes, you said 'It's all about power'."

"Then look," Hermione declared, "if you really want to see. Then look in my mind."

Tony's pinched expression told her he was about to protest, but Steve clasped a hand on his shoulder. James frowned. Hermione wondered how he felt about the whole thing, especially as someone who'd had to deal with HYDRA messing around with his mind on numerous occasions.

Clint and Natasha on the other hand showed their spy colours by having their blank masks in place. Vision hovered a hand behind Wanda as she stepped closer, hands already glowing red at Hermione's consent.

She tried not to shiver at the sensation and the warming of her pendant. It wasn't like Legilimens. There was a strange full feeling in her mind making her aware of Wanda's presence. The memories and thoughts that were pulled forward felt shadowed with a red tinge to it. Hermione could see her final fight with the Death Eaters, her journey to France, and then the research she put towards this world's ley line. She can see her dreams for home and the faces of her friends.

When it was done, Hermione tried her best not to sag under the turmoil that rolled in her gut. She closed her eyes to ground herself in her reality. "So?" she asked, blinking up slowly to the team.

They were all tense waiting for an answer as well.

Wanda just nodded, the red from her hands fading. "I will agree that she's working to protect the ley lines and go home," she said, glancing at each of the Avengers. Wanda turned to face her again, "And your necklace. It feels sentient."

Her hand rushed up to her neck gripping the pendant tightly, the warming feeling already fading in her palm. "Yes. Tony, Bruce, and I have been looking into it," Hermione agreed.

"It doesn't like me," Wanda said.

Hermione shook her head. "It's not dislike. It feels like confusion." She looked away from the team, side-stepping from them. "If we're done here, I think I need to rest."

No one stopped her.

* * *

**Thursday, August 4th, 2016**

Red tinged nightmares of the war kept Hermione up and feeling restless. She slipped from her bed and into her washroom. Casting a muffliato charm with a wave of her hand she sat against her tub with her phone in hand.

With a steadying breath, she immediately dialled for Gladiolus.

He answered her video call on two rings. It looked like he was in his home office, dressed casually in a tee. She could see Persephone in the background, lounging on a low wall-mounted cabinet.

He scowled as he stared back at her. " _I told you to sleep."_ He glanced off-screen before his attention was back to her, " _3 hours is not enough sleep_."

She rolled her eyes but shrugged. "Nightmares."

Gladiolus sighed heavily cursing under his breath.

"Tell me," she said instead.

He rubbed at the stubble on his cheek as he leaned to the side. When he was back in frame he had his laptop pulled closer, the corner of it in the shot. " _She had a twin; don't know the exact particulars of his passing. It's hushed up. HYDRA recruited them young and they were put under experimentation under a man named Wolfgang von Strucker. In the first fall of HYDRA, instead of going to ground with the rest of the scum, it looks like they were involved in that mess in Sokovia,"_ he started.

There were light beeps on her phone and she knew he was sending her the files. " _From the experimentation notes, her abilities are some sort of neuro-electric interfacing and several forms of manipulation. She wasn't trained formally in how to use them but I'm sure the Avengers are helping with that now that she's with them."_

Hermione tapped out of the video call to open one of the documents he sent to skim through. "She's so young," she murmured, seeing she was around seventeen during the events of Sokovia. To be manipulated into the situations Wanda ended up in at such a young age… She still couldn't condone her actions, but she could understand what drove her to read her mind without permission.

" _HYDRA doesn't care about your age, your family, or your life. They only care about what you can do for them. HYDRA will suck you dry of everything you can give them and then leave you for dead when you can't offer them anything anymore."_ When she tapped back into the video feed of Gladiolus, there was a faraway look in his eyes.

Hermione swallowed. And this was exactly why she wanted to stay out of their hands. "What do I do now?"

Gladiolus shook his head. " _I can't answer that for you, Hermione. Do you trust the Avengers to keep you safe?"_

She was silent as she thought it over. The only noise between them was the light jingling of Persephone in the background playing with a hanging chime. "I… I think so. Or I thought so?" She sighed heavily. "I don't know. I guess I realized I don't know them well enough to give them all of my trust. Not yet anyway." She cradled her head in her hand, expression pinched in worry. "If I had to trust one of them… Maybe James?" she admitted.

Gladiolus wrinkled his nose at that.

She gave a weak laugh at the deliberate slip in his cool demeanour. "Don't be like that. Despite everything, he's been very kind to me," she said.

" _Is kindness enough?"_ He wrinkled his nose again. " _Just… just be careful. If anything, trust them to fight against HYDRA with you. Trust them to give you the tools you need to finish your research. But until you know them, the_ real _them, I would caution you about whatever end game they have planned for HYDRA. Do not lay your life down for them if they won't do the same for you."_

Hermione nodded sadly. "I know," she whispered, "I guess I was just happy to have more friends I could be honest with."

" _There was plenty of friendship available in the underground,"_ he pointed out.

"You know that's not the same, Gladiolus. We wouldn't have been able to fully trust them with this. There's always a price in the underground and if someone offered enough..." she trailed off knowing he understood.

" _Fine."_

She bit her lip to cover the way it wobbled. "I miss you. I hope you know that. None of these people here have replaced you. They will never be able to replace the friendship you've offered me."

" _Brat_ ," he replied affectionately. " _I miss you too._ " He moved again, flipping his phone camera to Persephone. " _Persephone misses you too._ "

"Give her an extra long cuddle for me."

He huffed. " _She'd demand it from me regardless._ "

They shared a quiet laugh. " _Go get some sleep,_ " Gladiolus soothed. " _I'll have more information when you wake up. At a reasonable hour, no more of these 3 am calls._ "

"Okay, I'll try. Thank you, Gladiolus. Take care."

" _Take care_." He nodded and the line cut.

* * *

When she woke again at a reasonable hour, she felt anxious. Did she misstep yesterday afternoon? She wondered as she prepared for her day.

She asked F.R.I.D.A.Y who was around and where they were. No surprise to hear that Tony and Bruce were already in the labs. The rest of the Avengers seemed to have converged in the training room.

Hermione bit her lip and decided against joining their practice today. Instead, she made her way into the kitchen to prepare a quick breakfast and went to the labs.

"Great you're early!" Tony said enthusiastically as though the tensions from yesterday didn't happen. Bruce looked equally excited when he saw her walk in.

"No training today?" he asked politely.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Who cares about training when we have this!" he said, steering her to the centre table and the multiple screens.

"Not today," Hermione replied, earning an understanding look from Bruce. When she turned to the screens, she saw that it was opened to several maps. "What am I looking at?"

"We finessed the equations and I think we found two potential points for this ley line thing. There's one kind of near here."

Hermione looked on in surprise. "This is amazing! I didn't think we'd find one so soon." The excitement around the room was contagious and they walked over everything they found.

"I'm thinking we can make the trip out tomorrow if you're ready? We'll spend today refining the map and packing the tech we should bring, how does that sound?" Bruce asked.

Tony motioned over his shoulder to the other lab. "We should also test the new disrupter one more time just in case. I upped the power on it."

She nodded in agreement. "I'm okay with that. Will it be just the three of us?" She moved over to her desk to pull up all the information on the terrain, maps, and photos of Bull Hill.

"It's up to you," Bruce said, "Once we're in there, we'll be following your lead."

Hermione nodded. The fewer people the better, but she pursed her lips in thought. "What's in the surrounding area? Do we have to worry about any potential HYDRA agents being in the area, even by chance?"

Tony was typing away on his computer pulling out a different file map. "I'd like to say no. But, the truth is, we don't know. When they went to ground here, it went eerily silent. James and Natasha have been doing a good job thinning out the lower ranks, but the big names are still laying low and we don't know where. We thought they were in Europe but no word yet."

"Okay."

"How about we finish the plans first, if we need to bring someone in, we'll brief them in tonight," Bruce suggested.

With that, they set to work. They first focused on routing the best trail to where the node supposedly would be. After they enjoyed the lunch Tony ordered, they moved over to the explodey lab, as Tony called it. Bruce walked over to the far left of the room where there was a desk with four tablets and Tony walked to the middle of the cleared space with Hermione. He had a circular device in hand that looked similar to the one she'd seen from HYDRA in that field.

"I got four of these bad boys now," he gushed, "Five if this one survives. Let's try not to cause a power outage this time."

Hermione grinned sheepishly. "I did apologize for that."

Tony laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I know, I'm just saying. At least people didn't come snooping around."

"The Stark effect helps in that regard I guess," Bruce chimed in. "And you barely felt the outage, your backup generators powered up a second later."

"Again, just saying," Tony teased.

He placed it on the floor, powering it on. It glowed briefly in a light blue before dimming. Tony then grabbed two scanning devices. He placed one next to Hermione within the field of the disrupter and one outside of the area of effect. They gave Bruce the thumbs up.

"I got all four reads up and scanning. Hopefully, none will short out, but we'll have a back up if it does."

With that, Tony stepped back while Hermione pulled her pendant from where it was tucked underneath her shirt. Then, as they'd been practicing in the last week, she channelled her magic into the piece of the ley line's obelisk.

It warmed under her hand but it didn't feel dangerous. Sometimes, Hermione thought it felt welcoming. Slowly, as she gently filled it with her magic, it started to glow gold like it always did when she powered up the nodes in Calanque or South Downs.

"Everything is still steady." she heard Bruce say.

She glanced away from the glowing pendant up at Tony and Bruce. Tony nodded. "Let's up it some more then."

"Got it," she replied, funnelling more energy, powering it with protective and happy intent like a Patronus charm. She didn't want to risk filling it with offensive intent in case anything went wrong and something like that tank explosion happened. The more power she put into it, the pendant would slowly lift from the palm of her hands. The air around the room thickened with the energy, heavy against them like a weighted blanket.

"Pulse it," Tony said.

With that permission, Hermione let go of the power. She imagined it in her mind like she was opening the lid of a chest and the magic was unleashed. The pendant spun above her hands and magic swirled in the air with it. It mimicked the effects of wind as magic lifted her curls. The room filled with warmth as the pendant glowed brighter and brighter and there was a deep hum in her ears. Five minutes passed, the room filled with light so bright it was hard to see, but just beyond it, she could see Tony's figure give a wave.

She pulled the magic back slowly and soon enough, the swirling energy was gone. The heavy air eased and the glow dimmed. The pendant stopped spinning and dropped gently back into her hands.

"It's always so fascinating to watch," Bruce commented when the energy was contained again and Hermione was tucking the pendant back under her shirt. "And the readings didn't fry so we got all four of the scanners still up and running for once."

"That's great! And I completely agree," Hermione said, "but it does worry me. If this is what they were trying to achieve in my world, this power could be in the wrong hands."

"Let's hope they weren't successful then," he said grimly.

Tony was typing into a computer when they turned to him. "Good news! The disrupter didn't die. And it's working as planned."

Hermione and Bruce leaned closer to the readings their scanners got.

"This here," Bruce pointed to a chart, "are the authentic readings. You can see the gradual build-up of the energy here. And then the drastic spike when you let it go. It goes steady again and drops once you reign it in."

Tony turned one of the other screens for them to have a better view. "These are the readings from outside of the disrupter field."

The line and numbers of the energy levels stayed steady, and the spike was nowhere as significant as the original readings. Bruce and Tony patiently explained any of the findings Hermione didn't understand.

"Is there any bad news?" she asked.

"Not really," Tony said, tapping his chin with a pen. "Judging from the readings of the previous surges, your pendant falls at about a quarter in power levels. Theoretically, we should be able to disrupt the readings of a full node if we place all five of the disrupters while you do your thing. I might tinker and make one more, just in case."

Hermione shook her head, "I'd rather you rested than stay up making another one. The hike itself might take an hour, but finding the node will probably be longer."

Bruce and Tony nodded. "Fair. Did you want to bring anyone else?"

She frowned. "I'll consult with James, see if he knows about any HYDRA activity in that area, or if there's any word of movement."

"Let's take a break and start packing. Then, we'll test the disruptor at least two more times before we end for the day. Sound good?" Tony asked.

Bruce nodded. "I want to be sure we can get consistent readings."

"Agreed," she said.

Hermione was exiting the explodey lab. She covered a yawn behind her hand, the lack of sleep finally getting to her. She noticed James down the hall. He waved at her and waited until she caught up to him. "Didn't see you this morning," he mentioned casually, "so I wanted to check in with you."

She failed to hide her wince and they started walking away from the lab space. "I didn't sleep well, training wouldn't have been a good idea."

He didn't comment, just nodded in understanding. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday," he started.

Hermione shook her head. "Don't. I understand the necessity."

James frowned. "Regardless of necessity, Hermione, there could have been other options for them to get their answers. It wasn't fair to you."

She stopped walking, placing her hand on his arm. "What's done is done. It was the quickest way. They might still not trust me. I only hope they can at least trust my motivations now. We can move forward from here. But thank you, for the concern."

"Well, for whatever it's worth," he told her earnestly, "I trust you."

Hermione smiled. Some of the tension she'd carried over her shoulders all day loosening. "Thank you." She ducked her head for a moment and looked back up at him. "I think I needed to hear that today. And in case you weren't aware, I trust you too."

With a shared look of understanding, they continued down the hall in silence for a moment. "Actually, Tony, Bruce, and I have something we want to run by you? Are you busy right now? I was going to come by your suite after eating to ask but..."

"We can bring food back to mine and then we can talk?" he offered.

"Sure, I'll go change into something a little comfier, grab my notes. I'll let them know, if they want to join, they'll probably pop in when they can?"

"See you in a bit then," he said with a smile.

Hermione watched him head down the other way when the hallway came to an end, he turned right where his quarters were. She thought back on Gladiolus's question and liked to think that kindness was enough to start some level of trust. Although, it honestly was just something in her gut, telling her that this man was trustworthy.

* * *

**Friday, August 5th, 2016**

Hermione woke up early, excited but trying not to set her expectations up too high. She knew just because there was a node, that it wouldn't mean she could power it. The six dead ends in and around France was a sombre reminder of that.

Double-checking her backpack, Hermione was not watching where she was going as she stepped down into the garage. They'd decided that there wasn't a clear enough landing point for the quinjet and resolved to endure the long drive over.

"Oof."

She couldn't stop herself in time from running into James and his metal hand moved to hold onto her shoulder and help steady her.

"Sorry," he said.

"Oh, good morning, James," she said, "Sorry about that."

"Morning. That was my fault, the side door is in a blind spot." He let go slowly, and with his free hand, he held up several brown paper bags, passing one to her. "I picked up some breakfast."

With eager hands, she took the bag with a cheery thanks. She peeked inside. "Breakfast sandwich and a blueberry muffin? You know the way to my heart," she teased.

He smiled, "My pleasure."

Tony came strolling in just a moment after, Bruce right behind. "Alright kiddos," Tony said, "Let's get going. Oh! Are those breakfast buns from Celine's?" He made grabby hands at James until he got his.

"I was awake early enough and got their 5 am special."

"Thanks, James," Bruce said as he accepted his own.

In minutes, they had their car packed and on the road. Hermione sat in the back with Tony eating her breakfast. Bruce sat in the passenger side to help navigate while James took the wheel. The two-hour drive went by surprisingly quickly filled with amusing banter between Tony and Bruce, James chiming in every so often while they reviewed their plans.

When they arrived at Bull Hill, there weren't many people around which was exactly what Hermione was hoping for. She looked around taking in her surroundings. The photos she looked at in preparation didn't do it justice. She made sure everyone's bags had the featherweight charm on it and they set off.

The forest wasn't super thick but it was green and Hermione enjoyed the way the sun peeked through the leaves. She could only imagine how nice the trail would be during the autumn when the leaves started changing colours.

They followed the path uphill. The four of them were quiet for the most part and enjoying the hike. They pause every so often to enjoy the view or have a water and snack break.

"We're close," Bruce said looking down at his map almost an hour and a half into the trail. "Do you see anything?"

Hermione was looking around for anything that could clue her in. She paused looking at the ground. She knelt looking at the plant growing by one of the large looming trees along the trail. It was a pale green shrub with small vibrant pink flower blooming.

"What is it?" asked James as he came by her.

"It looks like dittany? But this is not native to America." Her fingers brushed along the leaves and gasped. "And this version of it… it's almost exactly like the ones from my world."

Using the practice she'd learned in Herbology, Hermione gently pulled part of the plant, roots intact, to keep and see if she could grow her own. She'd taken a weekend trip once, to Greece once she'd been settled in France with spare income. She hoped to find magical dittany and had only come across the muggle kind protected by European law to prevent extinction.

Why was it growing here? She wondered. Hermione thought back to the lush fields in South Downs and how the power of the ley line encouraged growth. She felt hope bloom in her chest, hoping this meant the ley line here was dormant and not dead.

"This way," she said standing and carefully packing away the dittany. "We're going off path."

They all followed her lead, letting her pause and pick dittany when she saw it. "Tell me about how this dittany is different from the regular one," Tony said. "It looks like regular dittany to me, how can you tell it's different?"

"Your dittany can be implemented in some pharmaceuticals. But this one? The same properties that are used for healing in your medicines are enhanced tenfold," Hermione explained.

She pointed to another on the ground but decided to leave it having picked enough for herself. "From a visual standpoint? You can tell it's different because the colours of the flowers are a little more vibrant than the usual pale pink. But in all honesty, it just feels different than regular dittany."

She turned to James this time. "Think about that balm you gave me. With the right added ingredients, it can close open wounds," she said. "Well, wounds that aren't too deep at least."

Bruce looked interested. "What other ingredients would you need to make this thing?" he asked.

Hermione grimaced thinking of the dragon liver. "Ingredients we won't be able to find here."

"Then why are you collecting it?" James asked curiously.

She shrugged. "Just because I can't make the exact uh- potion, here… I can experiment with what we do have. Even if it's just to make that balm of yours stronger."

Tony smirked. "Did you just call it a potion?"

She rolled her eyes, having expected him to be the one to point it out. "Yes, we called it a healing potion."

"So just how different is your world to ours then?" Bruce asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Well for one, we don't have superhero teams," she teased. "But over there I'm what's known as a witch. My abilities are what we call magic. We don't have mutants but I imagine, in this world, that's as close to magic you have."

"Do you think if we tested it, you'd have the x-gene?" Tony wondered.

"I don't think so?" Hermione replied, "it's not quite the same, the mutants here seem to have abilities limited to specific elements or abilities. Whereas in my world, you could train to learn all of it."

Bruce asked about how the training worked and Hermione brightened at the chance to talk about Hogwarts.

* * *

Off path meant the ground was a little more uneven, the foliage thick around them. The trek was even at a steeper incline than the regular marked path the longer they went on. When they broke through the trees there was a small field. It took her about 20 steps from the treeline to the edge of the cliff. Overall, it was a quiet spot away from the much more popular lookout point on the other side.

The grass of the field was lush and the weeds somehow under control. Near the centre of the field, there was a large tree but it had no leaves and the bark blackened and dead. Behind it, where the grass ended and turned to gravel then stone, was what could be a standing stone. It didn't look man-made. Rather, it looked more as though time had just weathered it away until it was small and almost obelisk-like near the end of the cliff.

She approached it carefully with a frown. The stone looked brittle and that was worrying. Especially if they were going to try and power it. As she placed a hand on it, she could feel the dormant ley line connected underneath. It wasn't dead like many of the ones she'd found before.

Hermione turned to the others taking in their curious stares. None of them questioned her, just letting her inspect in peace.

"Is that it?" Tony asked when she approached.

"Yes, I'm going to put the wards up now. You can focus on setting up."

Everyone set to task. Tony and Bruce started setting up the disrupter discs and then the scanners. Once set, they went back to each device powering them on to ensure everything was working before powering them off again until they began. James went for a quick tour of the perimeter but was back just as Hermione finished the wards.

She sat by the base of the stone, her back to the tree as she felt along the ground with her hand. Her pendant warmed, though not as much as it usually did. It felt like the pendant recognized where she was and what she was intending to do.

Hermione bit her lip as she dug around her bag for her carving supplies.

"You look worried," James said as he came to sit by her.

She looked at the tools in her hand. The next step to powering the node was to carve the powering and protection runes into the stone. "A little bit."

She could hear Tony and Bruce somewhere behind them talking about the ideal spots for the scanning points but she didn't turn.

"Is something wrong?"

Hermione frowned again. "I can feel the ley line. It's dormant and not dead which is normally a very good sign. But this stone…" She placed her hand on it again and tiny pieces broke away. "It feels and even looks brittle. I don't know if it'll be able to handle the power surge. There's usually an obelisk at all the sights of the ley line on top of the node to help focus the energy."

"South Downs doesn't have an obelisk," James pointed out.

"It doesn't," she confirmed, "but there's an active circle of standing stones that I've used in its place. I think the pendant was the original obelisk there."

"Is there something else we can use here then?" James was looking around for options. "Does it always have to be stone?"

"In my experience, I've only ever seen stone used for the focus."

Bruce came up to them letting them know everything was ready.

"We might have a problem," Hermione told them before explaining the fragility of the stone.

Tony was rubbing his chin in thought, one hand on his phone, searching something and brainstorming. Bruce was inspecting the stone himself, agreeing with Hermione's concern.

"What's the worst case scenario if we still go ahead and power this node?" Bruce asked.

Hermione pulled out her notebook and looked through her research. "It's hard to say. If the stone breaks during the surge, the pieces of stones flying at us at the speed of a bullet and the energy backlash will be dangerous. If it breaks before the power settles and awakens the node, it could damage this node of the ley line. A damaged node can have an effect on the surrounding lines."

There was silence.

"Well, I guess the question now is, do we go ahead with it, or leave it be?" Tony asked and they all looked to Hermione for the decision.

She tensed, glancing at the stone again. "Let me see how well the stone takes to the runes. I can try to add some strengthening runes in the sequence so that it can hopefully hold against any of the damage it might take," she said. "If it doesn't take well to the runes, we'll have to scrap this point for now. At least until we can figure out how to safely power this."

Hermione stood, pulling out the tent from her bag and setting it up by the tree line. She smiled, amused by Tony's and Bruce's surprised look. "Let's break first for lunch, I have to plan a different runic sequence before we can try carving."

"I know you said you were bringing a tent, but I didn't think it was like that," Tony commented as he peeked through the entrance flap with wide eyes.

Hermione laughed.

* * *

After lunch, Hermione was by the stone again, tools ready. Bruce and Tony were still in the tent configuring the laptops to all the scanners and disrupters they'd set up outside. James was doing another check of the perimeter and gauging how many people were in the surrounding areas.

She started in the middle of the stone. With a soft brush, she cleaned and dusted off the sections she'd be carving. When that was done, she pulled out white chalk and started writing her runes. The same runes she put on the pillar in Calanques with a focus on powering, protecting, and moderating the flow of magic. Added to the sequence, she put several strengthening runes. Protection against the elements and a Strengthening rune tied to the power it would hopefully hold.

When she was done laying down the placements and was satisfied with her work, she had her carving tools in hand. Because the stone was delicate she had to work gently and slower than usual.

It took her a better part of the afternoon to get all the runes done with Tony, Bruce, or James checking in on her. Near the end of her sequence, James came to sit with her offering conversation while she worked, bringing her water and snacks. She explained the history of each rune to him when he asked, talking about what each one meant and how it was supposed to work.

She stood, stretching her aching back and shaking out her arms and hands. Then she picked up her soft brush to clean out the carvings some more and inspected the work. She nodded to herself pleased that the stone took to the runes relatively well. Whether it'd be enough to hold against the surge upon awakening… well, that would have to be seen.

"This is the best we can do," she said, clapping her hands to rub off the bits of dust and stone.

"What's the game plan now then?"

Hermione tried to insist that for their protection, they stay within the tent when she worked on awakening the node. "If it bursts, at least I know you won't get hurt."

No one was happy about that suggestion. "We won't be able to see if you need help. Which is why we're here," Tony pointed out.

"We're also a lot more durable than you give us credit for," Bruce said.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just worried," she admitted. "Stay by the tent, when the glow gets too bright and the air feels as hot as fire get into the tent in case the surge bursts the stone. But I'll do my best to contain it if it does."

"I'll stay by the tree," James said.

She wanted to argue but seeing the stern expression on his face, she knew she had little chance of fighting him on it.

"Fine."

Hermione stood in front of the stone, her pendant hanging from one hand. It was warmer now and as she placed her hand over the central powering rune, both the pendant and rune began to glow. She closed her eyes and focused on gently channelling her magic into it.

It was like meditation and Hermione always lost track of time when she did this. To her, it felt like a few minutes but in reality, hours could pass quickly without notice. The pendant grew hotter and hotter, and slowly she could feel the magic in the air.

Like it did in the lab, the magic felt heavy around her. With her eyes closed, she couldn't see it, but she could feel the warmth flow from the ground beneath the stone. She could feel the power of the ley line make its way up in a pulsing but steady spiral until it fully wrapped around the standing stone like a coiled snake.

The amount of power under her fingertips left her breathless. It thrummed around her an all consuming presence. She could feel the stone vibrate underneath her hand. She tried to slow the flow of magic to help the stone adjust better under the onslaught of power but the node greedily hooked into her magical signature and pulled at her trying to get more of her magic faster.

Her eyes snapped open at that hook. She pulled her hand away from the rune as carefully as she could. But the ley line was still tethered to her and she could feel it tug at her core.

She squinted through the golden glow trying to search for the protection rune she'd carved on the surface. When she found it, she placed her hand on that instead of the powering rune. The heat it was emitting was almost unbearable, nearly burning her fingers. The vibrations of the stone became stronger and she worried it would crack through its foundation in the ground.

Hermione twisted the hand that held the chain of her pendant to bring the stone onto her palm, instinct telling her to use it for the shields.

The vibrations stopped suddenly. Then the magic pulsed once. Hermione steadied herself in preparation for the surge. Magic pulse again three times in quick succession.

The golden glow exploded flooding everything in her vision in white. The stone under her hand shook again and then magic washed over her like a tsunami. Hermione felt like she was drowning under the power. She didn't know how long it flowed for but it felt like ages before she could see and breathe again.

Her hand trembled against the protection rune as she looked up. The node was active, but the stone was cracking. When she lifted her hand from the rune, the stone fell apart crumbling at her feet. As it fell, she could feel the magic from the stone swirl in the air as though it was looking for a focus before it seeped into the ground.

She could hear the others rushing to her, hear them call her name but she didn't turn. Instead, she knelt on the ground, brushing through the rubble to feel for the node. She had to know if the ley line was damaged.

"Hermione?" Someone called.

"Is she okay? Did it work?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see James. "Was that supposed to happen?"

She shook her head a worried furrow in her brow. "Not exactly." She stood up with a sigh. "I think the node is awake, but it's splintered. I don't know if we'll be able to use it." She stared at the rubble in disappointment. She shouldn't have rushed into it. They should have waited and come back with a different plan. Hermione picked up one of the bigger pieces left of the stone and inspected it. It was the size of her hand and she could see two of her runes on it. Protection and Strength.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked.

Hermione shrugged. "It doesn't feel like the others. How did the readings go?" she asked, needing something to focus on instead of the disappointment.

She walked alongside Tony to the tent where Bruce was standing by the entrance, listening to him go over the data he had on his tablet. The readings were positive and no one would have even known there was a power surge at all. Hermione's wards should have taken care of masking the glow and noise.

"Hermione?" James called from behind her.

She turned to him. "Yes?"

"Is it supposed to be doing that?"

Hermione blinked confused. She glanced down at what he was pointing at. On the ground, where she stepped away from the stone and onto the grass, little deep blue flowers bloomed to life in all of her footsteps.

She stepped back surprised, almost tripping over one of the exposed roots of the large tree. Her hand caught onto the trunk and she watched in awe. On the point of contact, the black deaden bark came alive. In minutes the tree was full of healthy green leaves.

"What?" the word came out breathless.

Everyone stared in shock. Hermione glancing at her hands.

"What does this mean?" asked Bruce.

Hermione shook her head. "I have no idea." She looked back at the tree listening to the rustling of the newly bloomed leaves. She probed the tree to feel the magic of the ley line in it. It was feeding off of a part of the node. It's root filling the splintered piece.

James stepped closer to the tree inspecting it. "Could the tree work like the circle of stones?"

"I wish I knew."

* * *

They documented as much as they could of the tree and the energy around the splintered node. Hermione collected some of the flowers that sprouted in her steps for research, not recognizing it. She hoped to find out if there were any magical properties to it.

They stayed as long as they could but once the sun started setting, they packed up. Thanks to the cover of night Hermione decided to save time with a few quick disapparitions. She popped the team back to the car one by one instead of having to hike down, which saved them at least an hour trek. Before she joined them in the car, Hermione went back to set up all the wards she knew to protect the tree and the field keeping it hidden. She resolved to come back soon for more research.

It was late when they all got back to the compound. Tired, sweaty, and dusty after everything. All Hermione wanted to do now was shower, maybe eat, and then sleep. She slowed her steps when she saw Wanda was lingering in the hall by her room.

The young teen looked nervous when she noticed Hermione. "Welcome back," she said.

"Thanks," Hermione replied. She hoped her confusion and hesitation wasn't too prevalent in her tone.

Wanda fidgeted with her hands, twisting a ring she was wearing. "I wanted to apologize. A proper apology. But I can come back, at a more- um, when you haven't just come back from a mission."

Hermione looked at her for a moment, taking in the genuine guilt in the younger girl's body language. "If you're still up in an hour, I can come by your room? And then we can talk."

She nodded. "I'd like that."

"Your room is the one by Natasha, right?"

"Yes, at the end of the left wing."

She watched the teen go before heading into her room to drop off her things and get that long-awaited shower. She made it a quick one instead of the long soak she wanted.

Worry filled her. Worry over the node and what the blooming tree could mean. Worry over why the ley line hooked itself into her and pulled at her magic. She wished her worries would wash away as easily as the dust over her skin did.

Just as she said, an hour later, she was knocking on Wanda's door and the teen hesitantly let her in, leaving the door open behind her.

Wanda's living room was decorated in soft cream walls and couches. Her tables were glass and metal and her rug, pillows, and curtains were varying but similar shades of deep red. Along the window sill and on many of the shelves she had some plants and photos.

Hermione tried not to shift too much on the couch. The awkward silence manifested between them as she waited for Wanda to gather her thoughts.

She heard Wanda give out a heavy sigh before she steeled herself and faced her.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. It took me a few days to understand where I went wrong. I thought about how I'd feel if someone went around looking for private information in my head without even asking. I wouldn't like it. Honestly, if I was put in your position, I would have attacked them and I'm glad you didn't have the same reaction. Although I would have understood if you did," she said.

Wanda paused for a moment, glancing back down at her hands and then up again to Hermione, "I thought I was doing it for the good of the team but I can't use that as an excuse for my actions."

There was a beat of silence again and Hermione reached out placing a hand on Wanda's arm. "Thank you for your apology. I accept it. I've told James as well, that it was a necessity. In the end, it was probably better to just get it out there rather than have the doubt settle and cause any discourse."

Wanda hunched in her seat. "We could have done better. Vision let me see in his mind, to see how he saw you. And- again. I'm sorry. I'll do better. We all will."

Lips quirked into a small smile. "We'll move forward from this and learn to work with each other and to trust each other. I know trust has to be earned and not given. But I think with enough time, we'll all get there," Hermione admitted.

The weight that Wanda held over her shoulders lifted bit by bit. "I saw the way you use your powers. You call it magic."

"Yes, in my world, I'm what we call a witch."

They shared a smile at the title. "Some of it is similar to my powers but you use a wand for most of your magic?"

"It helps to focus and channel the power. I've been practicing some wandless magic but it doesn't come as easy."

"Can… If you're comfortable, can we practice together? You have a lot of control. And I'd like to have that too."

"I think that'd be nice. Natasha has me penned in for training in the mornings, we can probably shift some of her schedules around to work on our powers instead."

Hermione knew they weren't exactly friends. But as she left Wanda's room a few moments later, she couldn't help but think that this tentative work relationship would be a good start.

* * *

 **Saturday, September 3rd, 2016  
** _James POV_

He was sitting on his living room floor, legs tucked underneath his coffee table as he hunched slightly over it. Tablet in hand, he was going over the briefing notes for his next mission. Behind him, Hermione was laying down on his couch, an open book resting against the arm.

For once, Steve, Wilson, and Natasha hadn't yet come barging in with a movie to watch or music to listen to. Instead, it was the comfortable working silence they often found with each other. There was just the flick of paper every time Hermione turned a page. A few taps from him as he worked with the tablet. It was nice.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Hermione asked. He'd noticed she hadn't turned a page in her book for a while and had, until she'd spoken, thought she'd fallen asleep.

James sat up as he set the tablet down and turned to her. "Sure," he said as he rubbed his work tired eyes gently.

Her book was closed under her hand. Hermione brushed her curls back from her face when she looked down toward him.

"Does it make you uncomfortable when Steve calls you Bucky?"

His brows furrowed in thought. "No, not really. Why?"

She shrugged and moved from her lying position to a sitting one tucking her legs underneath her. "Sometimes... I don't know. There's just a look in your eyes."

Pursed lips, James looked away. "There's just a lot of history there that I don't remember," he admitted as he stared at his metal hand. "I don't always feel like I'm Bucky enough to use the name."

Hermione frowned, reaching out to him. "Maybe it's not about being, Bucky."

James gave out a mirthless laugh. "If you're going to say it's about being yourself, I don't even know who I am some days."

There was silence between them again. Hermione moved off from the couch to sit closer to him. She placed her hand over his metal one. "Have you considered that it's not about filling in _Bucky's_ shoes? The man you were before HYDRA and the man you are after HYDRA won't be the same. There are life experiences you can't go through without any sort of change or growth. Yours especially."

He didn't say anything.

Hermione sighed. "I'm going to be honest with my thoughts here. I don't think this is about _knowing_ who you are. Because you already know it, deep down, even if you won't admit it. You know who you want to be." She patted his hand gently. "And the team? They know who you are too. I think this is about forgiveness, James. It's not up to you to decide when people can forgive you for the actions that were forced upon you. It's up to you to decide when to accept that people will forgive you, care for you, and love you anyway."

He swallowed as he turned to look at her. "You make it sound so easy."

She laughed lightly leaning into him. "Well, it's always easier said than done, isn't it?"

He smiled softly accepting her hug.

"Can I ask another question?" she asked when she pulled away.

"Is it going to have me thinking over my life choices?" he asked with an amused hum.

"I was just going to ask if it would make you uncomfortable if I called you Bucky?"

He looked up in thought. "Are you gonna have a nickname too?"

Hermione tapped her chin. "I'm not one for nicknames, but you can pick one if you want. Just don't make it sound like my-knee or something."

He chuckled. "I'll have to think of something then."

She grinned. "I look forward to hearing what you come up with."

* * *

**Monday, September 12th, 2016**

Gunfire had James ducking beneath a desk. He grimaced at the computer he was in the middle of hacking. "Please don't tell me Steve is picking a fight," he grumbled into his comm.

He heard Wilson give a sarcastic laugh and he knew he shouldn't have bothered asking.

" _When is Cap ever not down to rumble with HYDRA?_ " asked Barton.

"Forget I asked then." He peeked out and saw it was still clear on his side of the base. He pulled the keyboard down and set it on his knee and continued typing away.

" _For the record. They threw the first punch."_

" _Your shield pretty much just makes you target practice, doesn't it?"_ Wilson asked.

" _Do you think the agent who manages to take down Captain America gets a big bonus?"_ Barton asked.

James watched the screen flash a message in Russian when he got into the files he wanted and started the download. Intel suggested there'd be a list of safehouses in this base, but even if there wasn't, any files they could steal would be helpful in the long run. This was supposed to be an old abandoned base, but HYDRA never left a base intact these days, especially if they were going to desert it. They knew something important had to be here.

"There was no bonus," James confirmed. He would know. They'd sent him after the guy. He furrowed his brow just remembering. "HYDRA never paid me."

Someone laughed but he couldn't tell who with the sound of more gunshots. " _Would you even want that blood money anyway?"_

" _That sucks. Why do they stick around then?_ " Barton continued.

Steve's voice came through with a grunt, the sound of something heavy falling in the background. " _Maybe they just enjoy the beat down?"_

" _Incoming, six heading east right to you, Barnes,"_ said Wilson.

"Thanks," he murmured trying to urge the download to go faster. He took the gun he'd set down on the desk and held it steady.

" _I'll rotate back,"_ Barton said. " _Try and flank them."_

Natasha who'd been in the lower levels digging through one of the filing rooms finally came through the comms. " _They had a signal blocker in the basement. It's cleared and the goods are burning. What'd I miss?"_ Since he and Natasha were the only ones fluent in Russian and reading Cyrillic, they'd been in charge of all the information gathering.

" _You owe me a fifty_ ," Wilson said.

James smirked as he heard Natasha click her tongue in disappointment. " _Really, Cap?_ " she asked, " _Couldn't even last twenty minutes without picking a fight?"_

" _You've resorted to betting?"_ Steve asked.

"Gotta pass the time somehow," James said.

" _You too?!"_

Barton guffawed. " _Yeah man, we've all made some pretty bills because of you."_

Steve grumbled into the comm. " _West Hall cleared. Can you not bet on things I do?"_

"Maybe if you weren't such a punk, prone to getting in trouble. Maybe?"

" _And what would we bet on then?_ " Natasha added innocently.

The download finished just as the door opened and Barton peeked in. "East cleared," he said as he nodded to him.

" _I don't know. Tony?_ " Steve suggested.

" _Too predictable,_ " Wilson replied.

James pulled the USB from the computer before plugging in a different one. He waited for the window to pop up and initiated the virus to erase everything. "Download done. Hawkeye and I will head back first."

" _Gotcha. I'll keep aerial support,_ " Wilson said.

Steve sighed but agreed. " _Widow and I will clear out the base and meet at the jet._ "

James and Barton rushed out of the building taking out any HYDRA agents they came across. Barton took out the ones camping at a distance while James charged forward, metal arm out grabbing and disarming and then shooting the agents down with the gun in his other hand.

They were out in fifteen minutes. The afternoon sun momentarily blinded him as he searched for Wilson in the air. He was engaged with the agents attempting to snipe him from the roof. "Two at Seven O'clock," he told Barton.

Instantly, the other man had two arrows notched and flying behind them. Wilson saluted them in thanks as he swooped lower beside them and then landed, wings folding.

"Cap and Widow lured them south side, we'll be clear to go now," Wilson said.

They nodded and rushed before any more HYDRA agents caught up to them.

* * *

They were sitting in the jet with the retro-reflective panels up, taking a breather. Steve and Natasha arrived twenty minutes after them.

"Hey, so, I gotta question for you," Barton asked as he plopped down onto the seat next to him. Barton had been pacing by the loading dock for Nat, but now that she was back he'd relaxed again.

James turned to him curiously with a nod.

"I heard Hermione calling you Bucky when we left. Does that mean the rest of us can or..."

Everyone stopped what they were doing to hear James's answer, the nosy bunch that they were. He shrugged. "If you want, I won't stop you."

"Does this mean you'll stop this last name business too?" Barton asked. He had his arm propped on his knee and then he dropped his chin onto his hand, blinking up at him with a teasing grin.

James tilted his head as he glanced amongst the team. The last name business did keep them all at some sort of distance between them, he supposed. One he hadn't thought of it until just then. "If you're comfortable with it, sure."

Natasha smirked, putting the GPS she'd been programming down and walking over to them. She wrapped an arm around him. "The big guy is finally coming around," she said cheerfully.

Steve was smiling brightly at the change in events, and even Wilson, with the whole trying to kill him thing a few years ago, grinned.

James returned their smile tentatively.

"Another question," Clint said, this time he looked like he was addressing the whole team. "Got any updates for me about Hermione?" James remembered he'd only stayed the night back in August to ensure Wanda settled back before heading home. "Wanda says she's been getting on with her, but I wanna be sure."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "If you came by more often outside of missions, you'd get a better idea of her yourself," she said.

"Hey, you try having a toddler at home," he said.

Steve crossed his arms over his chest. "I think her motivations stand true. She's a good team player and has been taking to training very well."

Sam was nodding in agreement. "Quick learner. Kind of ruthless, to be honest, especially when she really gets going," he added. "Wanda and Hermione have been practicing their powers together and once it's refined, I think they'll be a terrifying duo on the field."

Clint hummed suspiciously and looked to him for his answer.

"You already know I think she's trustworthy," he murmured, not missing the widening of Natasha's smirk.

"Well, I don't know. I'm still kinda suspicious. I'm worried you're all going soft or something. Especially you, Nat," Clint said as he stood to stretch.

Natasha huffed. "If anyone went soft, it's you, you weirdo. You're the one who went and got a secret family."

He grinned. "Point. I suppose I can stick around a little longer and see."

* * *

It was evening when they landed at one of their safehouses to rest for the night. After three nights of little sleep and staking out the old Russian HYDRA base, they didn't want to make the flight back to New York without decent rest and James had a side mission anyway so it all worked out.

They'd all freshened up. Sam and Clint went out to pick up dinner while Steve was already working on his report with Nat.

James stared at his phone, turning it on for the first time since they entered the HYDRA post earlier that afternoon. There was a message from Tony that he glimpsed at (a simple, 'All set') before he opened a completely different messaging thread. The number didn't have a name saved with it but he knew who it was.

The message was only a time and location. He had about thirty minutes to get there. Pocketing his phone, he reached for a set of keys and headed to the door. "I'll be back. Leave my portion of the food in the microwave," he said.

Nat nodded. "Good luck," she said a knowing look in her eyes.

Steve, on the other hand, looked up confused. "Good luck? Where are you going, Buck? Need us to come with?"

James smiled softly at the concern on his face. "Nah, don't worry about it, Steve. If it all goes well, you'll find out later." He eyed Natasha's mischievous expression and refrained from rolling his eyes. "Or Nat will tell you."

With that he left, locking the door behind him and heading to the garage. Pressing the button on the remote, there was a beep and a car came to life. Moments later, with GPS set on his phone, James was on the road to the address from his text message.

He got to the bar with five minutes to spare. It was a quiet night as there weren't many people inside. Only the bartender and two other patrons on the opposite side from him. He took a table that was near the back but had a clear view of the exits. James pulled out his phone to browse through the group chats. Updates were letting him know the food arrived and that Natasha barely managed to save his portion before it was inhaled by the rest of them. Moments after he answered, there was a message notification from Hermione and he tapped it open.

Two photos loaded up and then her message just beneath it. The first photo was of a bookshop, but he couldn't tell which part of the city it was in. The second photo was from inside the shop. Hermione's hand was in the shot and an all white cat was leaning into it.

The message read: " _Bruce brought Wanda and I to this bookshop, it's an hour out from the compound. Doesn't the owner have the cutest cat? Meet Mira._ "

He hid a small smile behind his metal hand. He was about to text a response when he heard the front door open. He tensed momentarily. James locked his phone and placed it back in his pocket, he didn't stand from his seat, only folded his hands in front of him on the table to show he wasn't armed.

The Frenchman took the chair in front of James with a scowl. He leaned his trusty metal bat against the wall next to him in warning.

"Thank you for meeting with me, LeBlanc," James said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO. Long note ahead:
> 
> I'm back! And this time with a Beta! Many many thanks to smos for reading this over for me and for organizing the writing sprints! -hearts- it's been helping with my productivity.
> 
> Also~ MANY MANY MANY THANKS to all of you readers for the support and love (and also the suggestions about my laptop situation). It's really appreciated! I still didn't buy one but I do have a solution! Wireless BlueTooth keyboards and my tv for the screen lol, it works for now.
> 
> I've never been to Bull Hill in NY and it probably shows haha. Google supplied me with photos.  
> And Gladiolus is back. I know a few of you were worried we wouldn't see him again.
> 
> Depending on how the next few scenes go, I'll be reaching the halfway point of my outline within the next chapter or so. After that, I think there will be about 7-8 chapters left until the end. But again, some scenes pop in/or go on longer than I anticipate so that's not totally set yet and there might be a few more. I know it doesn't sound like a lot of time left but things are going to be picking up speed again soon.
> 
> And the last two notes! I have a Bucky/Hermione soulmate au. It's gonna be a short one (less than 10k) and I'm already working on chapter 3. Check it out if that interests you! 
> 
> Someone commented saying they were worried about the similarities my fic had to others. I don't know which fic they're referencing, but I do know smos got a similar message on hers. I have ZERO intention of copying someone else's work. If it happens, it's a coincidence. I don't know if it's smos fic that this reader is referencing, but if it is, I can tell you right now, the only similarities we have is the interdimensional trope and current pairing. Otherwise, our works are completely different.
> 
> Please let me know which fic you're referencing so that I can read it and reach out to the writer, but again, understand that I'm not intentionally copying someone. I'm just using a popular trope and trying to put my own spin on it.
> 
> Thanks again for sticking around! I hope you enjoyed this update.  
> Until next time.


	7. Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going forward, I'll be referring to James as Bucky. I'm sorry it took so long to update!

**Tuesday, September 13th, 2016  
** _Bucky POV_

LeBlanc stared at him from across the table, fingers drumming against the worn wooden surface. "I'm not doing this for you."

"Thank you all the same," said Bucky, "have you decided then?"

LeBlanc nodded.

"Do you need more time for arrangements?"

LeBlanc fished through his pocket and Bucky clenched his fist, ready just in case. A USB key slid across the table, stopping just shy from his metal fingers. "I'll be ready tomorrow."

"And this?"

"HYDRA has been pulling out of France. I don't know where exactly or why yet. That has all the activity we've been able to track."

Bucky took the USB and pocketed it. "We'll see what we can find on our end. Hopefully, our combined information will reveal some sort of pattern."

LeBlanc was drumming his fingers over the table again, grey eyes piercing. "Tell me about the team."

"What about them?"

"Everything."

He pursed his lips and didn't answer.

LeBlanc merely rolled his eyes. "How about everything as it pertains to Hermione then? Who should she be wary of, who is on her side?"

Bucky kept silent for a moment longer, assessing LeBlanc. He waited to see if he'd change his question again. When the Frenchman raised a brow and motioned with his hand to carry on, he sighed.

"Do you need me to walk you through it?" LeBlanc snarked.

"There isn't necessarily anyone Hermione should be wary of."

The Frenchman looked skeptical. "Then you should have no trouble telling me about the team. How about you start with Stark."

Bucky scowled but relented. "Stark enjoys her company. He and Banner find her extremely intelligent and her abilities both frustrate and fascinate them to some degree. They trust in the fact that she isn't an enemy and Stark has a soft spot for her because he thinks Hermione's friendship with his A.I. is endearing. She enjoys studying with F.R.I.D.A.Y. in the mornings."

"What about your precious Captain America?"

Bucky shrugged. "They're friendly. Similarly, he trusts that she's working against a common enemy. They don't normally seek each other out aside from practice, but that might just be due to the number of missions he's been running."

LeBlanc nodded as if expecting that answer. "And Romanov?"

"I wouldn't be able to confirm with a hundred percent certainty if Natasha would lean one way or another," Bucky said with a shake of his head. "She's a spy and a damn good one. I do know that they consider each other friends. Natasha has a habit of spiriting Hermione away for some women's only time with Wanda and Pepper if she's free."

At the mention of Wanda, LeBlanc's eyes narrowed. "Tell me about the Witch."

Bucky knew Hermione must have told him what had happened last month. "It was tense at the start but Wanda has come to look up to Hermione and I think if it came down to it, Wanda would be an ally Hermione could trust in."

LeBlanc seemed to think it over before nodding again before naming someone else.

Bucky patiently went down the list of Avengers with LeBlanc and when he thought they were done, he paused at the expectant look he got.

"What is it?"

LeBlanc merely frowned at him. "Are you only going through such great lengths for Hermione because of my request?"

He didn't look away from LeBlanc's piercing stare. "I did promise you that I'd keep her safe and get her home if we can. I won't deny that I treat her safety and protection from HYDRA as a mission. But, Hermione is my friend. Probably one of the closest I've had since Steve. I would do what I can to make her happy as any friend would."

There was a suspicious look in the other man's eye but nothing more was said. Bucky had the sudden urge to feel defensive but he couldn't figure out why.

Before he could say more, LeBlanc stood. "I will see you tomorrow," he said without waiting for a reply.

* * *

"Can I tag along?" Natasha asked. It was afternoon and she was standing off to the side of the loading dock. Everyone else was still packing up their things into the Quinjet and making sure it was ready for the flight home. "I have a package of my own ready. It'll be on the way."

Bucky set the last of his bags up into the overhead. "Sure, ready to go now? We have about an hour before we need to get him."

She raised her hand, wiggling her fingers around a set of car keys. "Way ahead of you."

With a wave to the others, they went down to the garage and he let her take the lead for the road. "What are you getting?" he asked as he fiddled with the radio before finding nothing interesting and turning it off.

"A few tasers." She smirked at him before looking back to the road.

He huffed. "Just how many do you need?"

"How many knives do you need?" she countered.

"Not as many as you do," he mumbled.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Maybe when my taser collection is as big as our knives collection combined, I'll think about slowing down on the purchases."

Bucky laughed. "I don't believe that for a second."

Natasha laughed with him. "You're right. There can never be too many tasers."

In thirty minutes, she was pulling up to a slim alley. Bucky couldn't stop the groan that escaped when he saw just where they were. Down the block, partially hidden in the shadows was an old sign with a spear piercing through a gladiolus flower. It was an underground tech shop, which generally shouldn't be an issue except in this case of course.

"I should have clarified where your pick up was," Bucky said, "How'd you get an in with Arsenault?

The owner, Edgard Arsenault, was a well-known business partner of LeBlanc, and if that wasn't enough, the pair were also brother-in-laws. HYDRA (willing or unwilling and former or current) agents were barred from entering.

She winced. "An old friend got a vouch for me. It helps that my record was leaked I suppose. It's not a clean record, but it was something he was willing to work with." She shrugged with a sigh. "Don't worry about it. I'll be quick. We drove past a coffee shop around the corner. How about picking one up for me to pass the time?"

He nodded and they split up. There wasn't much that he could do and he didn't want to hang around the area looking suspicious; especially not this close to an underground hub. Bucky headed in the opposite direction.

The streets of Paris weren't busy. It was still early enough in the day that most people hadn't come out yet. Although, the little shops that lined the street were already beginning to open. He turned right towards the coffee shop Natasha pointed out and paused. The window display of a little boutique caught his eye. He glanced at the door seeing the open sign flipped.

A jingle sounded when he entered and Bucky tilted his head politely at the cashier who looked up. Quick surveillance showed him it was a mix and match of trinkets and paper and only had one back exit he thought would likely lead to the alley they'd parked in. Journals and books filled the shelves that line the right and back walls. The middle of the shop had islands, small shelving units filled with pens and pencils and other office supplies. On the left, there were glass shelves with miscellaneous trinkets from bookmarks to pins to jewelry.

He walked over to the glass display case by the window, eyeing all the accessories. The door jingled again a few moments later and he tensed. He was reaching for an item similar to what caught his eye on the display but paused. Next to him, looming with a familiar scowl, was LeBlanc.

Bucky scowled right back. "What are you doing here?"

"I was with Edgard when I saw you and your little friend park outside. She said you'd be at the coffee shop," he said. "Get lost?" he glanced around in curiosity.

He turned away from the Frenchman. He stared at the display case once more and picked up his chosen item. "Passing through," he replied, tone tight. "You just gonna hover or something?"

LeBlanc's hand tightened over the straps of a small duffle he had slung over his shoulder. His sleeves were rolled up, as usual, displaying his tattoos. He jutted his chin, almost daring him to pick a fight. "Keeping you company."

He didn't roll his eyes, but he wanted to. Instead, he walked over to the cashier to pay. The young woman looked between them, obviously noticing the tension, and rushed through the transaction process. "I don't need a babysitter. And I know that they have loosened up in the area."

"Doesn't mean trouble won't somehow find you. I'd rather be around while you're out in my city."

The cashier laid out a selection of ribbons and Bucky chose the pure white lace and watched her put his item in a small box and tie it off. He accepted the box and they stepped out of the boutique, probably to the relief of the cashier.

Thanks to the undetectable extension charm Hermione added to some of his pockets, he managed to slip it in with no problems. He and LeBlanc walked together to the coffee shop that was just a few doors down in a tense silence. Bucky joined the queue, trying not to scowl even more at LeBlanc's shadowing figure. Grateful that it only took a few minutes, he had drinks for Natasha and the others plus a box of fresh buns knowing someone (Clint) was going to get hangry at some point during the flight.

"Are we still passing by your place?" he asked as he took the box of food and put the tray of drinks on top of it. LeBlanc made no move to help and he didn't want it anyway.

"Yes. I wasn't expecting you to be at Edgard's."

The walk back to the car was just as silent and tense as it was since he'd shown up at the shop. Natasha was leaning against the trunk waiting for them. She plucked her drink from the tray with an amused thanks. Gauging the tension, she eyed the two of them momentarily and then slipped into the driver's seat. "This is my favourite car. Don't make me have to clean it up." She grinned then, a vicious smile full of teeth. "Ready, boys?"

LeBlanc slid into the back seat. "As I'll ever be," he replied.

Bucky grunted in agreement. He had a feeling it was going to be a long flight.

* * *

As far as introductions went, the team took to Gladiolus LeBlanc about as well as they could given the circumstances. Especially for someone who was relatively high-profile in the underground… and by well, Bucky meant the team was highly suspicious.

"I swear, y'all are going soft or something," Clint murmured. He perched himself on the furthest seat away from LeBlanc, his bow and arrows in reach. It didn't stop the man from sucking his ice coffee through the straw obnoxiously though.

Bucky shrugged in reply.

Steve's happiness over the names yesterday dimmed with the presence of the Frenchman. Although, instead of eyeing LeBland with suspicion, Steve eyed him.

And wasn't that a strange thought, Bucky wondered. He didn't know what exactly earned him that look, but he had a few guesses. None of them were things he wanted to discuss with anyone until he could process it himself.

Sam raised a brow at Natasha and Bucky caught their whispered conversation. "This is the man Hermione considers family? I thought Bucky had the murder face, but this guy could give him a run for his money."

Natasha suppressed a laugh behind her hand.

LeBlanc, the unflappable man that he was, didn't show if he was fazed by all the scrutiny. Though, in all honesty, that didn't surprise Bucky in the slightest. He'd watched the man exact his revenge; had been threatened by the man on multiple counts with only a metal bat where many others would've turned the other way the moment they made eye contact. After all that, there must be little that could faze a person. Instead, LeBlanc packed his bags where they told him. Then with gentle care, placed the carrier he held down by his feet. The soft meowing was the only hint that Persephone was in it.

Natasha took to the front to pilot the Quinjet and soon they were off. Bucky could only hope the flight remained as smooth as the take-off did.

When they landed in New York this time, no one was there to greet them. It wasn't too late in the evening thanks to the timezones. Bucky assumed everyone was probably still occupied by their own business. Hermione was likely still holed up in one of the labs working on one of the many projects she had.

Clint and Natasha were the first to break off from the group to do whatever it was they got up to when they were together. Bucky thought it was better off not knowing what scary schemes they put together. Plausible deniability and all that rot. Sam was next to leave saying he really wanted a nap after that flight.

Bucky turned to LeBlanc. "You sure you don't need to room here?" he asked as he led him through the compound and down to the labs. Steve came with them, silent and observant and not the least bit subtle about not wanting to leave this unknown man alone with his best friend.

LeBlanc scoffed. "I have my own accommodations. I'll borrow the car as promised."

Pulling a set of car keys from his pocket, Bucky passed them over. "You can use this while you're here. I can either show you to the garage or Hermione can when you're ready to leave."

When they got to the labs, they could only see Bruce through the large observation windows. Steve poked his head through the door when it slid open for them. "Hey, Bruce, where is everyone?"

The man looked up from his work caught by surprise. His gaze went over them, pausing momentarily on LeBlanc. There was some understanding in his eyes. "Pepper dragged Tony into a meeting this afternoon and I haven't seen him since. Hermione finished for the day and went to order food I think."

They thanked him and the three of them moved back down the hallway into the upper levels. LeBlanc looked around the living quarters, taking in his surroundings and everything the compound seemingly had to offer. His expression never betrayed any curiosity he might have held. Eventually, they stopped in front of Hermione's door.

"We'll leave you to it."

When LeBlanc turned to him, his scowl lessened. "Thank you," he said but didn't wait for an answer as he knocked on the door with one hand; the other adjusted his hold over Persephone's carrier.

Bucky turned to leave with Steve still following. "You're not going to stay?" he asked, surprised.

He shook his head; they were already around the corner when they could hear Hermione's surprised yell in the background. It didn't sound terrified or angry and so they continued. "No, they need time together without the rest of us hovering."

Stopping in front of his own suite, Bucky paused watching Steve. His friend merely moved ahead of him, opening the door and letting himself in.

"I'm curious," said Steve as he walked through the room and made himself comfortable on his couch.

Bucky refrained from rolling his eyes as he shut the door behind him. He should have known this was coming. He moved to the small mini fridge he kept in the room and reached for a bottle of water. He tossed one over to Steve. "What are you curious about?"

"Hermione."

He turned back to his fridge and reached for his own water bottle to avoid looking at Steve's knowing eyes. "What about her?"

" _Buck_." How Steve managed to ask all of his questions in an exasperated tone and just four letters, he didn't know.

He sighed. "What, Steve? She's my friend, and her birthday is coming up. She's away from her friend, someone she considers family in this universe for the first time. It wasn't even by choice. I would have done the same if it was for you. And you know you'd have done the same if it was me."

Steve merely pat the spot next to him on the couch. "Have you told her?"

Bucky dropped down, arms crossed over his chest. "Told her what?"

"I don't know… that you're interested in her, maybe?"

He shook his head. "It's not like that."

"I've seen you around people, Buck," he retorted.

Bucky shook his head again, more insistently. "I'm not that same man anymore. You know it. I know it. And it's okay. Just please trust me when I say it's not like that."

Steve grinned at him. There was a smug air about him and being the punk that he was he teased, "Not like that _yet_ , then."

He groaned, his hand reaching up to rub at his face. "You're starting to sound like Natasha."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Steve said with a laugh as he twisted open his water bottle and took a sip.

"Please don't make it into something. Okay?"

Steve merely clapped a hand over his shoulder and made sure to wait until they made solid eye contact before saying, "just so you know, I'm holding an 'I told you so' over your head."

"Of course you would, you punk."

The two sat on the couch. Steve liked to tell him stories he'd forgotten because of his time as the Winter Soldier. It was nice getting bits and pieces back little by little—the childhood stories giving him flashes of his past and his family.

Soon enough, though, the mission, flight, and enduring LeBlanc's presence finally took its toll, and Steve had left. Bucky was finishing his cool-down stretches when there was a soft knock on his door.

Wondering if Steve came back for something, he stopped and opened his door. On the other side was Hermione. Her cheeks were a little rosier, and the corners of her eyes tinged a little red and puffy, and he wondered if she cried. In her arms was Persephone, who was purring so loudly it was a wonder she wasn't vibrating.

Sleep forgotten, he was going to ask if something was wrong. He couldn't even get her name past his lips, just an "oof" before he had an armful of Hermione.

Careful with Persephone between them, Hermione had surged forward for a hug. "Thank you, Bucky. Truly. I don't know how to thank you enough for having Gladiolus visit and bring me Persephone."

He gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his living room for some more privacy; the door closed behind him. "You don't have to thank me for that."

She grinned up at him as they settled on his couch. She was quick to make herself comfortable, tucking her legs underneath her. "Of course, I do! And I know you've technically met this little troublemaker, but this is Persephone."

He let the cat sniff at his fingers. "Hello again, Persephone."

"I'm sorry for intruding on your night," she said after a comfortable silence. The two of them just playing with Persephone and giving the cat much-deserved affection. "I know you had a long mission."

"It's alright. You're the one who once asked me if I slept," he replied.

"True."

Bucky tried not to think about how he'd told Steve only a few hours ago that there was nothing between him and Hermione, even when he knew deep down that it wasn't entirely true. During little moments like these, it had something in his chest blooming with affection. It was a quiet comfort. He let Persephone climb onto his lap, nudging his flesh hand for head rubs.

Hermione watched on in delight. "Thank you again," she murmured, ducking her head, making her curls cover her face.

With his free hand, he tapped her chin gently, nudging her to look up. "You're welcome. But really this is something you don't have to thank me for."

She smiled softly at him, let him brush her curls away from her face. There was a moment when it felt like she would lean into his hand, but he pulled away. "Is there anything you're going to let me thank you for?"

He shrugged, still trying to ignore Steve's teasing in the back of his mind. "I take it, LeBlanc left for the night?" he asked, changing the subject.

Hermione nodded as she shifted on the couch. "Too many spies under one roof. It makes him uncomfortable. He also has business tomorrow. But we're planning for dinner, and you're welcome to join."

He tried to hide his grimace, and it must not have been successful judging from her laugh. "You really aren't each other's greatest fans."

"I don't think I'm anyone's fan," he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes goodheartedly, a hand coming up to smack him gently on his metal forearm. "You know that's not true," she said before hiding a yawn before her other hand.

He smiled at her. "You should get some rest," he said.

"You too, I just wanted to come by and thank you." She gathered Persephone in her arms. Just before she left, she paused by the door and turned to hug him again.

"Goodnight, Bucky."

"Goodnight, solnyshko."

She blinked up at him, her smile widening just a little more. He'd been worried about the nickname that'd been swimming around in his mind, but seeing that expression eased it all.

Hermione hummed. "Sunshine, huh?"

"It fits."

She pulled him in for one more hug. "You'll have to explain your reasoning behind it," she said before rushing out. He watched her go, leaning against his door frame.

The quiet comfort Hermione gave him was almost as though she was making a home in his heart and he didn't think he minded it one bit.

* * *

**Monday, September 19th, 2016**

Bucky was with Natasha, setting up one of the dining rooms for Hermione's birthday. Hermione insisted on not having a party, but Natasha countered that it wouldn't be a party, just a dinner. Nothing fancy or formal, but there was going to be cake. Everyone got one, and she should count herself lucky that Natasha took the task upon herself instead of Tony. That had quieted Hermione up pretty quickly. Everyone knew that a small dinner with Tony wasn't always small by any means.

LeBlanc was out with Hermione touring the city. He'd gotten into the routine of bringing Hermione out of the compound and everyone knew it was so he could keep far away from the rest of them, a cautious tension was still palpable between the Frenchman and the Avengers.

Persephone on the other hand was indeed the troublemaker he remembered. Easily made herself at home in the few days she'd been around. Currently, she was winding between his legs meowing. He honestly wasn't sure what she wanted. He knew she wasn't hungry because he'd watched her devour her bowl of wet food moments earlier.

Natasha watched in amusement as she set down the food they'd ordered. "I think she wants you to pick her up."

"What?" Bucky turned to Natasha.

"Persephone. I think she wants you to hold her."

Bucky crouched with his arm out, and immediately Persphone jumped up and settled herself around his shoulder. "Are cats supposed to be like this?" he asked as he stood again, stroking between the ears earning a purr.

"Some, I suppose." Natasha reached out to pet Persephone and cooed. "Sooo… I heard you call Hermione, solnyshko, earlier."

"Anyone else hear?"

"Nope," she replied, popping her 'p' with a glint in her eyes. "Does she know it's a term of endearment?"

He glanced away, focusing on Persephone. "She knows it means sunshine."

Natasha hummed knowingly. "I see… Did you know Steve is finally participating in the betting pool?"

"What betting pool? I didn't know there was a new one."

Sam, who'd come in with bottles of sodas in his arms, laughed. "He started it this time. How long it'll take him to tell you 'I told you so'. I didn't give us the context, but if you can time it to happen in a month, I'll give you 10% of my cut," he offered.

Bucky glowered. "Punk just doesn't know when to quit it."

Natasha's eyes sharpened. "If Soldat is going to rig the bet for anyone, it'll be in my favour."

"I ain't helping any of you," he snapped with no real heat behind it.

Bruce came in next with the glasses and helped Natasha arrange them on the table. "What are you not helping us with?"

"Nothing," Bucky insisted.

Steve, who always had great timing, waltzed in with a grin. "Oh, Bruce! I hear all of you have been betting on me?"

Bruce had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry, Steve. Sometimes it's just too easy."

Persephone, likely sensing the tension, jumped down from his shoulders and meowed at Natasha. Bucky, on the other hand, stalked over to Steve, trying to get him into a headlock. "I'm going to kick your ass during training tomorrow," he hissed.

Steve continued as though he wasn't getting his airway blocked. "You can make it up to me by joining my betting pool this time," he said to Bruce.

"What are we betting on?" Tony asked as he came in, unfazed by either Steve or Bucky.

"Nothing!" Bucky interrupted.

Sam hovered, waiting to see if he should help Steve or let them duke it out. Natasha merely glared at the two as she picked up Persephone. "If you're going to get rowdy, take it outside. I don't want food to fly," she said to them before turning to Bruce and Tony. "Steve's betting pool is: How long he has to wait until he says 'I told you so' to Bucky. I'm down for two weeks. Sam's down for a month. It's fifty each."

"What's the context?" Bruce asked as he reached for a cheese tiropita and bit into a corner.

Sam and Natasha exchanged a glance before they all collectively turned to the grumbling duo. Steve had escaped his headlock, but they'd moved into some sort of strange grappling dance, hands on each other's shoulders and heads ducked.

"Not a hundred percent sure, but I got a feeling it might have to do with Bucky's past," said Sam.

Bruce hummed in thought. "It's hard to pick a date without specific context. What'd Hermione put? I'll follow her lead on this one. She usually has good instincts."

"Put me down for three weeks," said Tony.

"I don't think Steve asked Hermione to join the betting pool yet."

"What's the betting pool this time?" asked Vision when he and Wanda walked in.

Tony took over the reins on explaining while Wanda stared at Steve and Bucky in surprise. "I don't think I've ever seen them go at it like that outside of training before," she said. "And I'll skip this round. Not enough information to make a solid pick."

"I agree," Bruce said with a nod. Vision echoed the agreement.

Bucky stopped from where he had one of Steve's hands pinned behind his back. He turned to them all. "I want it known for the record, Wanda and Bruce are now my new favs."

"Not Hermione?" Natasha asked with a smirk.

He scowled while Steve guffawed.

Bruce blinked at the varying emotions then grinned. "I've changed my mind. Put me down for two weeks and a half."

His scowl deepened. "Traitor."

"Now, you know how it feels when all your friends make bets about you," Steve sniped.

"Shut up, you jerk."

* * *

It was late by the time the birthday dinner finished. Bucky followed Hermione back to her suite. "Did you enjoy your evening?" he asked as they settled on her couch, each of them tired and full from all the food. Persephone had fallen asleep a long while ago already.

"I did. I was a little worried it'd be some big thing, but I'm glad I trusted Natasha to keep it simple," she said as she stretched.

"I'm glad," said Bucky. He paused for a moment before reaching into his hoodie's pocket and pulled out a square box. The same square box he'd gotten in Paris. "Here. Happy birthday again."

She smiled shyly. "You didn't have to. You already brought Gladiolus and Persephone."

He nudged the box into her hands, and she took it with a soft thanks. "I wanted to," he replied.

Bucky watched her pull the simple white lace ribbon loose and slip the cover off. There in the middle of a bed of decorative white and black paper was an ornate golden sun set onto a french barrette. "Oh!" She pulled it out and inspected it closer.

"You've been twisting your hair from her face, but the short curls always come loose from your ties anyway," he explained.

Grinning up at him, she quickly sectioned off the part of her hair that always fell over her eyes and clipped it back. "Thank you! How's it look?" She turned to give him a better view.

"Very pretty."

"And it fits the nickname you chose for me," she said, a very faint rosy flush bloomed over her cheeks. "You never did explain why you chose solnyshko."

"Several reasons," said Bucky with a smile. "One, I thought it'd take you a lot longer to figure out what it meant."

She laughed at that.

Continuing, he said, "Another, your magic kind of reminds me of sunshine when you use the pendant at the ley lines. It's very bright. I think when you use your abilities in general, it feels very warm. How do you know Russian anyway?" He didn't tell her how she made him think of the sun, warm and bright; how sometimes her presence was like a welcomed summer day after weeks of a cold winter.

"Curiosity in general. I picked up a little bit of Russian in school when we had a tournament one year. A little later, a colleague of mine taught me some things when there was downtime during a mission. I can't read Cyrillic to save my life, though."

He liked that about her. Her eager curiosity to learn everything that caught her attention. "I can teach you if you like," he offered.

She smiled up at him. "If you have the time, I'd love to learn."

* * *

**Friday, September 23rd, 2016**

Bucky tried not to tense under LeBlanc's strange stare. It was as though he was trying to read into him and he didn't know what answers he was looking for. It was too early in the morning to be dealing with any sort of subtle hostility, no matter how mild it was.

Before he could say anything about it, Hermione came out from her bedroom, Persephone in her arms. She looked between the two of them, sitting at opposite ends of the room in silence. "I know you are both capable of having civil conversations when I'm not around." She waved a hand between them in questioning. "You wouldn't have been able to set differences aside to work with each other otherwise."

Neither elaborated that their tense temporary cooperation relied on their soft spot for her and their common goal in keeping her safe and helping her get home.

"We merely have nothing to discuss at this time," LeBlanc said stiffly.

Bucky shrugged not wanting to be the one to elaborate.

Hermione rolled her eyes before leaning against the arm of the couch LeBlanc sat on. "Now that can't be true, Gladiolus. Or you wouldn't have asked for him to come."

Bucky blinked, he hadn't known that it was LeBlanc who had requested him.

LeBlanc scowled as he stood. "Shall we go?"

Bucky followed them, watching Hermione kiss Persephone between her ears before setting her on the newly purchased cat tree.

"Where are we going?"

When LeBlanc didn't answer, Bucky turned to Hermione in question. She shrugged. "Gladiolus has a gift for you. Says you'd like it," she replied. "I came to play mediator just in case." Her smile was teasing. "But I don't think you'll need it from me."

In moments they were in a car and heading into the city. He recognized that they were in the underbelly of New York. A place he would have never brought someone like Hermione to, but LeBlanc seemed to feel comfortable enough.

They parked in an underground lot and walked up to a concrete wall. LeBlanc rested his palm over a black panel and it lit up presenting a number pad.

Too quickly for even him to catch, the passcode was put to present a whole other scanning panel and in the next moment seams appeared along the wall with a hiss and LeBlanc pushed it in revealing a hallway.

He motioned them through and Hermione walked in with zero hesitation and blind trust. Bucky glared at LeBlanc in warning.

The door shut behind them with a soft thud, seams along the wall disappearing and all evidence of a doorway gone except for another slim black panel.

He followed after LeBlanc and once the hallway ended, they stopped at a large black door that had the same imagery as Edgard Arsenault's shop. A spear piercing through a gladiolus flower, this one embossed in gold.

"Come," said LeBlanc as he pushed open the door. Inside the room, Bucky's breath caught at the sheer amount of weapons that visibly line the walls and counters and tabletops. He knew if there were any hidden doorways like the one that brought them here, there was more unseen.

He glanced over to the left where the wall had a series of blades. Beautiful blades he wanted to try his hand at. Hermione moved to lean against one of the counters poking through some notebooks and he knew LeBlanc must have brought her here at some point. "What are we doing here?"

LeBlanc's normally stoic face smoothed up into an almost vicious grin. "We are going to spar. And if I deem you worthy, I'll allow you access to this place for emergencies."

Bucky glanced over at Hermione who muttered under her breath about boys and their toys.

"Okay," he said.

"Pick your weapons." LeBLanc motioned to the wall as he walked to the other end of the room to press another button. "The goal is not to defeat me. Your goal is to impress me."

Bucky weighed out a few of the blades in his hands before choosing two. When he followed LeBlanc into the other room, it was a training room similar to the one at the Avenger's compound. He wondered how it all fit in the building they were in. It certainly hadn't looked this large from the outside.

Hermione followed them, taking a seat by the far wall. She brought one of the notebooks with her but she hadn't opened it yet.

"Let's begin," LeBlanc said and he nodded in response.

They stood at opposite ends of the room, stance ready and waiting. Then at an unheard signal, they both charged at each other, blades drawn and clashing. Bucky spun on his back leg trying to get a kick in but LeBlanc blocked it before throwing a punch.

He ducked and pushed him back. They circled each other twice and they were back in each other's space just as quickly. He jumped up to dodge a low kick and swiped downwards with his blade as he landed but LeBlanc was quick and dodged again.

They exchanged a series of punches and kicks and close calls with the blades. The whistle of the knives cutting through the air or the sharp clang the only signs that the blades were still in hand.

Bucky lost track of time as the spar continued and he found himself grudgingly enjoying his time. LeBlanc was a fresh new opponent. A challenge. The spar ended when he managed to get LeBlanc in a hold and tossed over his shoulder and the blade pressed against a point that would have been lethal if it was HYDRA.

They stayed there, breaths heaving and tension leaving their bodies. LeBlanc gave up a sharp laugh as he stood. "Good kid. _Good_. Let's go again."

And they continued a smirk on each of their lips.

It wasn't friendship by any means, Bucky knew. But he could say they were likely closer to becoming acquaintances now.

* * *

**Monday, October 3rd, 2016**

He was sitting on his couch with Hermione while Steve had settled on a floor cushion across from them. Steve had his sketchbook and pencils set out across his coffee table, busy with a new project. There was music playing softly in the background, a jazz album Sam enjoyed and suggested.

Bucky was reading through another history book. Hermione had a book of her own, but he didn't understand much of it, a lot of the old Latin going over his head. When he turned to glance at her, he found she'd fallen asleep, her head on the armrest and her book limp in her hands.

He reached forward for her book to keep it from falling and made sure he placed the ribbon to mark the page she was on. Bucky paused, seeing the furrow between her eyebrows, pinching her usually restful expression with worry. He knew she'd been feeling a little stressed over everything that happened at Bull Hill and the subsequent threads of theories she was trying to solve. She'd told him that all the answers she'd found only led to more questions, even after two months.

Bucky leaned forward carefully, gently rubbed at the furrow and over her brow, trying to soothe whatever worries filtered in her sleep. Slowly, her expression relaxed.

"Not like that, huh?" Steve asked softly. He'd paused in his drawing, watching the two of them the moment Bucky moved.

He leaned back on the couch, careful not to wake Hermione. His eyes cut to his friend in warning.

Steve wasn't having any of it, though. He set his things down as he stood. Motioning with his head, he prompted Bucky to follow him to the rarely used balcony.

Bucky followed with a resigned sigh. "Are you really gonna start on this again?"

His friend frowned at him. Arms crossed and waiting for an answer, Bucky didn't cave. "I'm just wondering why you haven't said anything to her. That isn't like you, Buck."

Leaning against the railings, Bucky stared at his hands and fidgeted. "She wants to go home, Steve. Why would I make her stay?"

"You're gonna let something like that stop you from trying to have something with her? If she can find a way home, she could probably find a way back here! Look at Thor. He comes and goes as he pleases."

Bucky didn't say anything and Steve's shoulders slumped. "And what if she can't find a way home… what if after everything, she's stuck here for good? You still gonna use that as an excuse?"

"I don't know, Steve."

Steve wrapped an arm over his shoulder. Bucky was thankful he didn't push any further. "Just something to think about then," said Steve. "People like us… We don't get these opportunities often you know."

He didn't say anything to that.

"Oh, also, Nat just won. I told you so."

Bucky rolled his eyes but couldn't help the small smile that twitched at his lips.

* * *

**Saturday, October 8th, 2016  
** _Hermione POV_

It was Gladiolus's last day in New York and it was bittersweet. He'd come over early in the morning, picking her up to get breakfast and spend some time together. With only a few hours left before he was flying out with some of the Avengers, they were sitting in her living room. Persephone was by the window playing with a hanging toy Hermione had gotten her.

Gladiolus was going over the additions to her research notes, and she waited as patiently as she could for any feedback. After almost two months of work, she'd finally been able to compile everything into an easy to read report for anyone with zero magical knowledge. He grumbled as he passed her book back. "A lot of the math looks right. But of course, you have some equations there I don't quite understand."

"It's just the addition of the magical factor," she explained and bit her lip in worry. "The more I go back to Bull Hill… the more I worry."

He took the tablet she had on her lap and swiped through the photos she and Bruce had taken during each return visit. "How many times have you gone back since?"

Hermione stood from her couch to pace the length of her living room. "At least once a week since we first went. It's faster now that I can just apparate there."

"And there's been no change?"

She shook her head and crossed her arms. "No, if anything, the landscape is thriving. I've never seen anything like it. It's beautiful, especially during sunrise and sunset. The tree almost looks like it glows. And the root that worked its way into the split of the node? It's almost as if it's fixing it. But it's hard to say for sure. I don't know if it'll continue to grow and completely pierce through the node."

Gladiolus continued to swipe through the photos zooming in and out of each one. "And when you go, do new flowers still bloom in your steps?"

"Oh. No, that's stopped. I think when the obelisk broke, that excess of magic had nowhere to go. I remember it seeped into the ground and that it hooked into me before that. I'm hoping it was just a manifestation of all that magic. I noticed it in South Downs and Calanques. All the surrounding land that has an active node thrives off of the magic, making everything feel so much more alive."

"And if it wasn't excess magic?" He asked, setting the tablet down to look at her.

Hermione pursed her lips together. "I haven't figured that out. I don't even know where to start. There are no books here that could help me, and all the books I have in my bag aren't geared to this kind of magic."

She dropped back down onto her couch, head in her hands.

Gladiolus pulled her close by the shoulders, trying to reassure her. "You'll figure it out. You got this far, didn't you?"

"I suppose."

He nudged her. "Chin up. You did get this far. And you have a lead," he said, pointing to her notes. "Continue working on the sentient angle. You say this is the biggest difference between _your_ ley line and this universe's ley line. That will likely be one of the keys to figuring this out. You're closer to figuring this out than you were yesterday, or last week, hell even last year."

Shoulders still slumped, she nodded. "You're right."

"Of course I am." They shared a small laugh.

Hermione leaned into him with a frown. "I wish you didn't have to go."

He tucked her into his side, though his expression was equally as crestfallen. "You can visit next time. HYDRA has been clearing out of France. I've given my findings to Barnes and Romanov."

"I thought France was a big hot spot?"

"We thought so too, but current movements say otherwise."

She pulled away with a frown. "Where are they headed?"

Gladiolus returned her frown. "They're spreading out; I haven't pinpointed an exact location, but I'm assisting the decryption of the files they stole from the Russian port."

Hermione groaned. "For once, I wish things were easy. I just want to solve this ley line situation without having to worry about HYDRA."

"Don't we all?" said Gladiolus.

There was a moment of comfortable quiet. "What if the ley lines can't bring me home?" she asked.

Gladiolus frowned at her. "You can't think that way if you want to get home."

She sighed. "I know. But some days it just feels like it's going nowhere and I don't really want to keep my hopes up, you know? I've found a family in you, and this working friendship with the Avengers. And… and maybe this isn't my world, but, maybe… if all things go south, I might be okay with making this my home?"

Silence reigned and then Gladiolus sighed. He went to ruffle her curls, but the hair clip she'd been wearing most days stopped him. He pointed to it. "Is this because you're getting friendly with the Winter Soldier, hmm?"

"No! I wouldn't make a decision because of someone else. It's… I couldn't admit it before, but back in Paris, with you and the bar and the underground… I was already gearing up to accept that it was my new home. I was content with the life I found with you all."

Gladiolus held her tighter when her voice wavered. "And then HYDRA happened and my reality changed again, and new hope to get home was lit. But I still have that lingering thought that if it doesn't work out, if all my work still can't bring me home... I'll be okay. I'll be sad for sure and I'll miss everyone there. But eventually, I'll be okay."

"Hermione."

"Don't make a big deal out of it," she said trying to lighten the mood again. "We're family, right?"

"Always. No matter what happens, whether you stay or you go. You'll always be part of my family, Hermione. Even if you're _buddies_ with the Winter Soldier," he said lightly.

She cracked a smile at that. "He's not exactly the Winter Soldier anymore. Not the same one you've heard stories of anyway. Are you judging my choice in friends?"

"I'm not," he said with a raised brow. "I'm only judging your choice of _lover_. Of all the people in this whole universe, you have to pick him? Did you think I wouldn't notice you making eyes at him during the spar that one day?" he teased.

She ducked her head to hide her flush. "Shut up. It's not like that. Don't make me hex you. And I didn't pick him."

"Oh, so you're not doing that weird dance, toeing the line between friendship and more?"

Hermione scowled at him. "It's complicated."

"So you say. But again, I'm only judging your tastes…"

"I don't know what answer you're fishing for here," she said defensively.

"Why him?"

She blinked and glanced away. Her hand came up to her hair, fingers grazing her clip. She dropped her hand onto her lap when she realized she'd reached up. "It's not like I went looking for someone. It just happened. And… We're not anything. We're just friends."

He smirked at her and Hermione was only a finger wiggle away from hexing him good, just to wipe that expression off. "I'm asking about the why."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know. It's the little things."

"Ah, yes. His kindness and his trust."

Hermione hit him in the shoulder for his continued teasing with a small pillow. He merely chuckled and pulled her close again, only wincing slightly at the mild stinging hex she cast.

"Those are all important qualities!" she insisted.

Gladiolus just nodded and he somehow even made that feel like it was sarcastic. Her defensive stance dropped. "It's honestly the little things though," she said avoiding her friend's eye, hugging the pillow to her chest. "My favourite snack and quiet company when he somehow knows I'm feeling down. Or making sure that I don't stress myself out too much by over-working on the ley lines and research. Or on the sleepless nights, we'd go on the roof and just stare at the sky. Even bringing you and Persephone here for my birthday. How- how can I not find the little things charming? How can I _not_ like that?"

She looked up to him and there was a soft understanding look in his eyes. She tried not to flush further.

"I suppose if you're happy here…" he said grudgingly.

Hermione smiled softly. "I am happy."

"Good."

* * *

**Saturday, October 15th, 2016**

When Hermione walked into the lab that morning, Tony was staring vacantly at one of his screens. She slowed her steps, turning toward him instead of heading to her desk. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Tony seemed to shake out of his thoughts as he focused on her. "No," he said, "why do you ask?"

Hermione continued to her desk, set her notes down and powered up her laptop. "You have your worried face on."

"No, I don't," denied Tony. He straightened in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest.

Hermione stared at him curiously, and he glanced away. She moved, not wanting to push the issue and went back to preparing her work.

There was a moment of working silence. Hermione transcribed the new calculations she'd had in her new notebook. From the corner of her eye, she could see Tony stand and pace in front of his workstation. He paused before going back to the computer, where she could hear him type away.

He broke the silence soon after. "An enhanced individual is running around the city in pyjamas trying to stop the local crime. I'm pretty sure they're a minor."

She paused her notes and swivelled her chair around to face him. She watched him continue to pace. Behind him on the computer screens, she could see he had several videos up and paused. "What are you going to do about it?"

"What?"

Hermione leaned against the armrest of her computer chair. "I mean, what are you planning on doing about this? You're obviously worried. Are you going to stop them or help them?"

Tony raised a brow, one hand running through his hair. "Are you seriously asking me if I'm going to help a minor swing into danger?"

"Depending on the kind of person they are, it might not matter. If I know anything about rebellious teenagers, especially those who might have a high sense of doing what is right in the face of what is wrong? You won't really be able to convince them to stop. I can tell you that growing up and fighting in a war during my teens... I would have really liked having a reliable adult on my side," she told him with a slightly tight smile. "Besides… if you were honestly planning on stopping the kid, you wouldn't be worried. So really, what are you going to do about it?"

There was curiosity in his eyes, but he didn't ask any questions about her past like she thought he would. Instead, he sighed and turned back to his computer. She watched him pull up another video of the enhanced teen and press play. "I need to think," he murmured.

Hermione nodded and turned back to her work, another comfortable silence taking over for the next few moments. She was just finishing her notes when the lab door slid open, Bruce and Wanda coming in.

"Morning, everyone," Bruce said.

Wanda smiled and added, "How can I help?"

Hermione waved Wanda over to her desk space and pointed at her screen. Tony and Bruce hovered behind them, listening. "I got thinking. You're the only other person here who could tell that the pendent was sentient. After Bull Hill, I think the ley line itself, at least in this universe, is also sentient. I'm hoping between the two of us we can figure out just what is going on with the ley line and maybe find a way to communicate our needs?"

She pulled the pendant from her shirt and over her head, holding it out. "The first time I realized its real potential was at the HYDRA base near Nice. It used the intent I put in my spells and powered it nearly tenfold. Something changed, though, because prior to Bull Hill, the ley lines only ever linked to the pendant and used my powers to awaken."

Wanda hummed in understanding as she reached for the offered pendant hesitantly. She frowned. "I still think this pendant doesn't quite like me."

Hermione pursed her lips. "We'll have to look into that," she said before continuing. "At Bull Hill, not only did the ley line hook on to me instead of linking with the pendent, it splintered. For now, the tree seems to be keeping that node stable. But I don't know how long it'll remain stable for. We've tried all the readings we could with the technology we have available, but I think we need to try with magic."

The younger woman hummed in agreement. She turned the pendant in her hand, getting a feel for it and then called upon her powers. Her hand glowed red for just a moment before she winced. "Well… this obelisk stone won't take my powers. So I don't believe I'd be able to power any of the ley lines," she said, handing it back. "It shocked me. Just a light sting like static, but it was enough to warn me off."

Bruce grabbed his tablet and began writing notes. "Did the warning feel dangerous?" he asked.

"No. Not dangerous, it felt more like..." she paused in thought. "It's like cautioning a child to two both ways before crossing the street? I don't know."

Tony reached for the pendant. "If I hold on to it, would you be able to get a reading of it reacting to me?" he asked as Wanda dropped it into his hand. "Because to me, it just feels like a regular stone."

Hermione cupped his hand and shook her head. "I don't get anything from you, but it might be because you're not magical."

He frowned and handed it back. "Bruce and I are going to be in the explodey lab to test out some tech we've been finessing. Shout if you need us, but we'll leave you two ladies to it."

They watched the pair go across the hall.

Wanda turned to Hermione and asked, "Do you have anything else from the ley line? And maybe the next time you go, I can come with you for a clean read?"

Standing from her seat, she motioned for Wanda to follow. They'd brought in another table with all the samples they'd taken from Bull Hill. There was the piece of the broken obelisk, the flowers and the dittany.

Wanda took her time picking every sample up to get a feel of it, her hands glowing that familiar red.

"It's strange," she finally said. "I can recognize two signatures. One is yours, Hermione, and the other I'm assuming is the ley line."

"Is that with everything?" Hermione asked, her notebook ready.

"Hmmm," Wanda hummed as she went for a second pass. "Not the dittany. But the flowers and the stone yes. And your signature isn't as significant as it is on your pendant. Is it not supposed to be like that?"

Hermione bit her lip in thought. "I don't know if it's just my residual magic working through all the pieces. We'll have to come back to it and see if time has faded my signature. If it hasn't, that's something I'll have to figure out."

Wanda hummed in understanding.

"Could you describe the differences between my signature and the ley lines?"

"The ley line just feels like power. If that makes any sense? It's like a piece of raw power in the palm of my hand. It has a similar cautious feeling to your pendant but it's not as prevalent. Your signature though. It's warm and comforting? Kind of like sitting by the fire. But there's an underlying power there."

Hermione nodded as she noted everything. "Curious, I'd never thought about how my signature would feel to anyone sensitive enough to notice it. I have an affinity for fire," she admitted, "in school, fire-based spells usually came very easily to me."

Wanda looked curious and Hermione promised she'd share some of her Hogwarts texts with her when they were done. They'd turn to look over the sample again

"When you next go to Bull Hill, perhaps you can teach me how to get the samples for you. That way, we can get some pieces that have had the least amount of contact with you?"

She grinned. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Wanda returned her grin. "What next?"

Hermione rolled Bruce's chair over for her and then took her own. "If you can, do a third pass of the items, but take your time with them. You can write down your impressions here. I'll do a comparison scan. After I handle each item, I'd like it if you went over everything again in case anything changed. Is that okay?"

Wanda took the offered notebook. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

**Saturday, October 29th, 2016**

Hermione knew something big was happening soon because training had been ramped up to a whole new degree of intensity. Today in particular they focused a lot on offensive work, as well as speed and disarming. It was also the first time she'd seen Bucky in over a week as he'd been away on Avengers business.

She'd just finished a much-needed shower when Bucky had come by her room and came clean about what was up.

Hermione blinked up at him. "You think I'm mission ready?" she asked.

He laughed. "Hermione, you weren't 'mission-ready' on that first HYDRA raid. How can you be any less ready after all the training Natasha has put you through?"

"I guess when you put it that way," she paused, looking around her bedroom and heading into her closet. Bucky was sitting at the edge of her bed. "Is there anything, in particular, I need to bring?"

"Probably that dragonhide gear you used. Did you finish the balm and dittany combination?"

She dug into the back of her closet for the set he was talking about and tossed it on her bed. Then she took her harness bag and rifled through the contents. "I have one balm that took to the dittany okay… it's not as strong as I was hoping, but I think with a few more experiments I can get it to a point I know it can be at least ten times stronger without the sunburn-like side effect."

"We'll take what you got."

She plopped down onto the bed with him. "Is this my briefing or is there an actual team meeting?"

"We'll have a meeting later when Tony's meeting is done. You'll be partnered with Steve. I'll be with Sam and Wanda will be with Natasha."

She looked skeptical. "Everyone is trusting me to be partnered with Steve?"

Bucky smirked. "We're also hoping that having you with him will keep his reckless tendencies in check for at least thirty minutes this go-around."

Hermione laughed this time. "Fair. The disillusionment will probably help keep him from being a red flag in a building full of bulls. What are we expecting on this mission?"

"The base we're raiding is called the Fortress. So it'll likely be swarming with agents."

"Is it their new headquarters?" she asked.

"Not quite. It's on Macquarie Island. Remember that abandoned base we hit in Russia last month? It's where they and the French agents have been converging to re-coop. They got it up and running faster than we anticipated."

Hermione startled. "Macquarie Island? How the bloody hell did they manage to build a fortress and run a base there?"

Bucky grimaced. "From the notes we stole, the base is likely to have some enhanced agents. Likely some sort of retro-reflective panel tech around the whole area as well."

She returned his grimace with a scowl of her own. "We'll have to be careful. We should try to contain any damage considering its Macquarie Island." Her brow furrowed together trying to remember everything she'd read about the World Heritage Site.

They sat in silence for a moment, before Bucky patted her shoulder reassuringly. "You look worried," he said.

"I've not dealt with any enhanced people except for this team. The unknown is a little worrisome."

He nodded in understanding and then with a soft nudge, he urged her up. "Come on. We've been cooped up inside with training all day. Let's get a breather."

She followed him up and out onto the roof. The autumn nights are a lot chiller now that winter is approaching. Even so, the sky was clear and they were far enough away from the city to see some of the stars clearly.

They'd settled down in their usual corner. Bucky pulled out some cushions and a throw blanket from the patio box he'd gotten after sitting on the roof became somewhat of a routine for them. They sat in comfortable silence. He'd leaned back, his metal arm behind his head.

"You're still worrying too loudly in that pretty head of yours," he murmured after a few minutes of silence. He nudged her with his foot.

She shot him a sheepish smile and moved into a more comfortable position also leaning back against the cushions. She pulled the throw blanket over her and tossed the other end of it over him.

They laid there listening to the night before she turned to him, poking his hand. "Thanks. I needed this."

He smiled a soft smile at her, reaching for her hand. "You're welcome, solnyshko."

When he didn't let go, she interlocked their fingers together and smiled too.

* * *

Here are two drawings I did of Hermione last year! I couldn't decide how I wanted her curls to look like haha. 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S BEEN A WHILE.  
> I hope you enjoyed this! I don't know why I struggled as much as I did with this one. It's a bit more of a filler with a focus on the start of the Bucky / Hermione everyone has been waiting for. Thanks so much for sticking around and reading! I know everyone has questions about the node and what happened! BUT ANSWERS FOR THAT WILL BE COMING SOON! I promise! it just didn't really fit in here.
> 
> This has been partially Beta'd by smos but I also re-wrote a few scenes and posted it anyway so any mistakes are my own. I hope it won't take me as long to get the next chapter up. Writer's block and general IRL stuff suck sometimes.
> 
> You'll be able to see the two drawings I did of Hermione last year on my Tumblr as well!
> 
> Take care and until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello and thank you if you've made it this far!  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will stick around to read more.
> 
> My Beta Reader is the Grammarly app. 
> 
> Just a few heads up:
> 
> For the MCU-part of this fic: this will not be Civil War, Infinity War, End Game compatible.
> 
> I can't remember when exactly the Winter Soldier story took place, but apparently that was in 2014, and for the sake of this fic, I'm going to say it happened in the November time-frame. You can keep this in mind, but I will not be writing the Winter Soldier arc.
> 
> A lot of the Magic/Technology in this fic will be me thinking of how things could/would work if I tried to manipulate magic a certain way.
> 
> If you wanna chat, I’m active on tumblr @paramourparty
> 
> Thanks again for reading! Please leave a kudos or comment to let me know what you think!  
> Until next time. Stay safe out there!


End file.
